Killing for Revenge
by whatever55
Summary: a serial killer is on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth Parker's missing What happens when things get more complicated some BB later Takes place after Season 4 not including the last 2 episodes & Cullen is still around.
1. The Case Heats Up!

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

**Killing for Revenge**

**Chapter 1: The Case Heats Up!**

* * *

Brennan was working on the body of the victim of the newest case of what appears to be a serial killer who targets boys between the ages of 5 and 9. This was the third body in nine weeks, so the team was now expecting a forth body at any time based on the killers MO. The killer would torture the boys for three weeks, with one week over-lapping with the next boy, before killing them with a bullet between the eyes. It was as if the killer was trying to send a message to someone.

After killing the boys the killer would boil the bones to eliminate any DNA on them and pull out the teeth to make identification nearly impossible. Little did the killer know that the case would go to the Jeffersonian with Special Agent Seeley Booth as head agent on the case with his team of squints. Or is that exactly what the killer wanted because with the help of Angela they were able to identify the three bodies as Nigel Smith, age 6; Kyle Kelly, age 6; and Jake O'Brian, age 7. Even stranger is the fact that the latest victim went to the same school as Parker. This was starting to make Booth more paranoid so he asked Rebecca to keep a closer eye on Parker, but since it is an open case he could not give her more information than "A couple of boys went missing." Rebecca just brushed it off as Booth's normal over-protectiveness and doesn't think much of it.

As Brennan was on the platform studying the remains of Jake, Booth walked up scanning himself onto the platform not looking happy at all. They were all getting really frustrated with this case because they were not getting any leads. Studying the bones Brennan was able to determine that the boys were mainly beaten by circular objects of varying sizes, and while there were knife marks on the bones she was able to determine that they were made by a standard kitchen knife found in 90% of homes. The only useful information they got was that the bullet came from a sniper rifle. They were able to track down the rifle from the bullets markings. That information was useful until they found out that the rifle was reported stolen three weeks before the killings started, so seriously who could blame him for looking so pissed. Brennan had also noticed that while the injuries on the boys varied in amount, they were the same types of injuries. The injuries also seemed to be more violent and forceful. She had also noticed that the boy's feet were also fractured by the objects.

"Booth, don't tell me you're here because of another body," Brennan said to him. When she saw his face though it was one of the times she could read him perfectly so she knew his response before it came already.

"Alright, I won't just get your stuff and get in the car… again."

"Where did they find the body this time, the side of another highway again?" She asked gathering her things.

"Yep, and don't ask what condition the bones are in though 'cause I don't know. I told them not to get within 50 feet of the bones or you would shoot them for possibly contaminating the evidence," Booth said giving her his famous charm smile. Brennan returned the grin with a small one of her own.

"I should warn Angela quickly… let her get prepared for this."

"Ok, I'll wait in the car, hurry up."

A few minutes later Brennan got to the car. The drive to the highway was fairly quiet and tense because they were both expecting and fearing the worst that it was another little boy. They eventually made it to the area in which the body was found. Both of them walked up to the remains with everyone else a little ways away because none of them wanted to be around Booth or Brennan when they were pissed.

"Male, age between 5 and 10 years old, dead around 24 hours, bullet between the eyes, beaten, signs of torture from a knife, possible feet fractures… I'm fairly certain that this is from the same killer," Brennan said standing to face Booth.

"Bones boiled and teeth gone too?"

"Yes."

"Ok… pack up everything and get it back to the lab." The crew then sprang into action, before they pissed Booth off, which at this point they knew would be a death sentence for them, taking photos of the crime scene and samples of everything. They then proceeded in packing the remains to transfer everything to the lab. This was all done staying as far away as possible from Booth and Brennan.

"When we get back to the lab I'll have Angela give him a face," Brennan said to Booth as they were walking back to the SUV.

"Yeah… ok… I guess I'll head back to the Hoover building and send over the missing persons reports to Angela's database again," Booth said climbing into the car.

The drive was quiet and tense yet again. Brennan was staring out the window and Booth was clenching his jaw and holding the steering wheel much tighter than he needed to.

"Booth, you know it's not likely that you'll break the wheel."

"Yeah, I know Bones but it gives me something to do instead of wanting to curse out all these drivers for driving to slow," he said smirking a little.

"They are going the speed limit you know."

"Yeah well as far as I'm concerned when working a case with a serial killer targeting little boys everyone drives to slow."

A short time later, they arrived at the lab and saw that the evidence had already arrived. The other members of the team had already begun working. They scanned themselves up to the platform and went over to the team.

"Ok squints, let's hear it, what have you got for me so far?" Booth asked them.

"Not much, Seeley, just relax for a minute; we just got the body and gave the skull to Angela," Cam said to him.

"Don't call me Seeley, Camille, and just work fast 'cause with this guys MO another boy has already been missing for a week and I would really prefer to find him alive. I'm gonna head to the Hoover to get Angela the updates of missing boys and have one of my guys send it to her server… catch you later, Bones," he said leaving waving his hand over his shoulder.

"Bye, Booth," Brennan said already getting absorbed in all the mysteries the bones held for her.

* * *

**_Booth's Office_**

One of Booths guys had just sent the list of missing boys over to the lab a couple of hours ago, so Booth was going over the files of the three dead boys that were already identified. Something was bothering him about the case but he just couldn't put his finger on what it was. His cell phone started to ring while he was studying the files for the third time trying to find anything in common with the boys. Looking at the caller ID he smiled.

"Hey, Bones, What have you got for me?"

"I actually have Angela here with me now with an ID… hold on I'll put you on speaker phone." Booth then heard the click that signified the speaker phone turning on.

"Hi, Agent Hot Stuff, I got your ID. The boy's name was Eric Hunter. He was 7 years old," Angela told him.

"Ok… Bones, do you have anything new for me?" Booth asked pulling up the file on Eric Hunter on his computer. The file came up and showed Booth a picture of the little boy. He was fairly small for his age and had fairly long straight black hair and green eyes.

"I don't think so. I don't see any inconsistencies between the other cases and this one. So far it is the same injuries, just stronger again. The bullet hole does match the others though," Brennan said to him. After she waited a couple of moments for a response and none came she said, "Booth, you still there?"

"Huh… oh yeah." Then something clicked in Booth's mind. "Is Angela still there?"

"Yeah I'm still here… What's up?"

"Are you absolutely sure this is the face?"

"Yes… Why?"

"Eric was in the other class, same school and class as the last boy, Jake."

"And same school as your son…" Brennan started telling him.

"Yeah, thanks for that, Bones," Booth said irritably.

"What, it was just a fact," Brennan said unsure of why Booth was so pissed.

"Sweetie, it's just something Booth doesn't want to think about," Angela told her.

"Oh…"

"Yeah, still here, so I can still hear you… So Bones, want to come talk to the parents with me?"

"Yeah, of course… come pick me up, and while I'm not in Wendell can see if I missed anything on the bones."

"Right… see you soon," Booth said hanging up.

As Booth was closing the files he had opened and was getting ready to leave to pick Brennan up one of the younger agents, Bill, came in carrying an envelope.

"Sir, this just came in for you."

"Thanks, Bill," Booth told him taking the envelope.

As Bill left the room, Booth looked at the envelope quickly to see if it could wait until he got back. When he saw that his address was written in all capital letters and that there was no return address he decided that it could not wait, so he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. The letter was made up of clipped out magazine letters, some uppercase but most lowercase letters. He began to read:

i thought you would have figuRed thiS out by Now you arrogAnt ass  
PaybacK Is fuN  
RuNnInG out of time  
beTteR movE fastEr  
i will bE VictoRious and you will Lose  
GuEss you arE not as good As you thought you were

Booth read over the letter several times before putting it back into the envelope and taking out his cell phone to call Brennan. He put the cell phone to his ear as he grabbed the letter and started walking to his car.

"Brennan."

"Hey Bones change of plans. We aren't going to talk to the parents just yet…"

"Booth, what's going on?"

"I think the killer just sent me a letter. I'll be there soon," Booth said hanging up and putting his SUV in drive after getting in.

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 1 let me know what you think!**


	2. A Possible Target!

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**ok so I'm at a little over a week now but my memory stick with all of my chapters snapped in half on Friday and I didn't have access to the computer with the chapters until today...updates will probably be Tuesdays now until I can get a new one or find my other... If reviews increase though I can get to this computer briefly some mornings so I could still possibly do more than 1 update a week instead of what I need to be doing... so if you want a chapter sooner review!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_Booth read over the letter several times before putting it back into the envelope and taking out his cell phone to call Brennan. He put the cell phone to his ear as he grabbed the letter and started walking to his car._

_"Brennan."_

_"Hey Bones change of plans. We aren't going to talk to the parents just yet…"_

_"Booth, what's going on?"_

_"I think the killer just sent me a letter. I'll be there soon," Booth said hanging up and putting his SUV in drive after getting in._

* * *

**Killing for Revenge**

**Chapter 2: A Possible Target!**

* * *

**_The Lab_**

Booth walked into the Jeffersonian and scanned himself onto the platform. The rest of the team was up there waiting for him. Brennan hadn't told them what was going on, only that it was important.

"So what's going on Booth?" Cam asked him.

"Yeah, do you have any goodies for me?" Hodgins asked him next.

"Calm down squints… I'm pretty sure the killer just contacted me at my office," Booth told them smacking the envelope down on the metal table.

Brennan picked up the envelope after putting on gloves and pulled the letter out. She read it to the team. After she finished the team looked at her with expressions of shock and horror.

"Hodgins, take the envelope and see if you can get anything off of it… other than Booth's fingerprints anyway…" Brennan started to say

"Yeah well sorry I don't keep gloves in my office but it's not exactly squint central…Oh and Bill's fingerprints will be on it also cause he's the one who brought it to me," Booth added.

"Angela," Brennan said glaring at Booth for interrupting her, as Booth shot her a charm smile. She just rolled her eyes and continued with her thought. "Take the letter and see if you can get anything out of it."

"Like what, Sweetie," Angela asked putting on a glove and taking the letter.

"Secret word, hidden phrase, maybe the magazines or newspapers the killer used to create the note… anything really."

"Ok Sweetie."

"Good… now Booth and I have to go talk to the parents."

* * *

**_In Booth's SUV_**

Brennan noticed that Booth seemed to be a little more tense than normal. He was clutching the wheel to the point of his knuckles turning white, his jaw was also clenched.

"Booth, are you alright?"

"Fine, Bones."

"Really because anthro—"

"Not now Bones."

"You're stressed."

"Nooooooo," Booth said sarcastically.

"You know I told you before how I read in a partnership sarcasm is never helpful… you know you should really borrow the book, it was quite informative."

"Yeah, whatever Bones, let's not start with that again."

"What's wrong, Booth?"

"Nothing," Booth said defensively.

"You're lying… Don't you trust me?"

Booth glanced over at her. He knew that any time she played the trust card he would give in. He just hoped she never realized this or she might actually get the gun she wanted. "Yeah, ok… You're gonna think it's stupid but I just have this really bad feeling about this case… like something worse is gonna happen."

"But that's illogical!"

"I know, but think about it, when has my gut ever been wrong?"

"Well there…"

"Rhetorical question, Bones."

"Still there was Pam. You didn't think she was dangerous so you almost died!"

"And you said there were no facts to suggest she was dangerous, just crazy!"

"We were looking at her as a suspect in a murder!"

"Yeah, until her alibi checked out!"

"Oh, so this is my fault now!" Brennan said starting to get angry.

"NO… wait where did you get that from?"

"Well you just said we didn't have any facts… I do facts, you do guts."

"We weren't exactly looking for them either and that was because I took her off the list of murder suspects."

"Oh, so it was your fault then."

"Yea… wait… WHAT?"

"Logically…"

"Logically," Booth said chuckling, "Bones, there was nothing logical about her."

"Ok."

"How did we get on this topic anyway?"

"Well you said…"

"Another rhetorical question, Bones."

"Oh." They were quiet for a few minutes.

"Why did you really bring her up, Bones," he asked her softly.

"You asked for a time your gut was wrong."

"Ok, now the real reason."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Alright, Bones, whenever you want to talk…" They were then silent in the car for a few minutes.

"… Because it was meant for me and you were gone…" she said in a mere whisper. Booth took his right hand off the steering wheel and took her left one giving it a gentle squeeze to show her he was still there. That was what she needed.

* * *

**_The Hunter's Home_**

"… Again, we are very sorry for your loss, but if you could just answer two or three more questions for us please." Booth requested of the two parents of the little boy who they just discovered was an only child.

"Of course, Agent Booth, just find out who did this to my little boy," the mother said clinging to the father; both were sobbing.

"I know he was only seven but did anyone seem to absolutely hate him?"

"No, he is… was such a lovely and well behaved little boy," the father said, "everyone who knew him liked him… We raised him to be polite to everyone."

"Ok… do you know a boy by the name of Jake O'Brian?" Booth asked.

"I think Eric mentioned a Jake in his class but I don't think they really spoke… It was one of those conversations of 'Can I have a new pencil? I let Jake borrow mine and he forgot to give it back,'" the father answered.

"Ok, thank you for your time. We are very sorry for your loss. Please call if you think of anything else," Booth said handing them a card and getting up to leave with Brennan following him. They both got into the SUV. Booth pulled out into the traffic. The ride was silent for a few minutes.

"It's getting steamy in here Bones."

"I don't know what that means."

"It means you're thinking too much… What are you thinking about anyway?"

"I'm just thinking I really don't like this killer," Brennan said looking very serious.

"I agree, Bones," Booth said laughing lightly. He then started getting quieter.

"What?" Bones asked him when he went completely silent.

"I think I just found a connection between the four boys, while thinking about what the parents have said."

"What do you mean?"

"Well first of all they all were only children but the parents were also saying they were never in trouble with anyone… While it's not much, it's something."

"Something's better than nothing," Brennan told him as her phone began to ring.

"Brennan," she answered. She listened for a minute then responded, "Angela just relax… We're on our way."

"So I guess this means we're not going to the diner for lunch?" Booth asked when she hung up.

"No, we have to get to the lab now… I don't know what has happened, but that was Angela and she was completely freaking in, I think you would call it."

"Out, Bones… freaking out, but close enough," Booth said laughing.

"But that makes no sense, she's in a building."

"Bones… I definitely got to boost your knowledge on pop culture and common phrases," he said still laughing. The rest of the ride to the lab was spent in comfortable silence.

* * *

**_Angela's Office_**

Booth and Brennan had just gotten to Angela's office. Almost instantly they noticed the increased security near her office.

"This can't be good," Brennan told Booth as they walked into the office.

"What's up, Angela?" Booth asked her.

Angela, who was sitting on her couch with her back to the door, jumped and turned around at the sound of his voice. "Geez Booth, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Angela asked him trying to regain a little composure.

"Sorry, but what has you freaking out?"

"Right, well, I was looking at the letter and noticed how each line has only four uppercase letters, so I figured maybe there is a word or phrase in those letters so I lined them up and this is what I got," Angela said hitting a few keys on the Angelator and the letter appeared slowly removing all of the lower case letters. "I then left the upper case letters in the lines they were in and this is what comes up when it's written in columns… the fourth one spells a word."

"Good work, Angela," Brennan said.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, then my brain processed what it said," Angela said starting to type in a command.

"What do you mean, Angela?" Booth asked.

"Just watch," she told him as she finished typing the command in. The letters started coming together. "Look at the fourth column." This is what it showed on the screen:

R S N A  
P K I N  
R N I G  
T R E E  
E V R L  
G E E A

Both Brennan and Booth just stared at the screen for a few moments before they processed the fact that the last column spelt 'ANGELA'

"Ok… I did not expect that," Booth said.

"Yeah… I didn't either which is why I almost gave Cam a heart attack when I scram the first time I saw it," Angela told Booth.

"She must have loved that one," Booth said chuckling at the thought of his ex's face. He turned serious then, "Angela, I'm gonna need to ask you a couple of questions though." He motioned toward the couch indicating she should sit.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out already."

"Ok, so first of all this case seems to be a series of revenge killings since they are getting more violent. Do you know anyone who might want revenge on you?"

"No, I don't. I had been trying to come up with someone's name even if it was just an ex of mine but most of my ex's broke up with me and the ones I broke up with are still good friends of mine. Sorry."

"Ok. One more question. Do you have any knowledge in torture or of people who have been tortured or have tortured others?"

"Well unless you count a very boring art history class that I had to take in college that the class called art torture than no," she said laughing lightly.

"Ok, that's all I have to ask for now, so let's make one thing clear for now though. YOU GO NOWHERE ALONE," Booth told her forcefully trying to get his point across. "I'm also calling in for two agents to follow you everywhere. Now let's go; me and Bones are taking you to your apartment where the agents will meet us. Let's go."

"Booth, don't you think this is a little much?" Angela asked.

"No… Now let's go," Booth said picking up his phone and requesting two agents to meet him at her apartment for security detail.

"Why do I have to go with you, wouldn't I be more valuable here?" Brennan asked Booth.

"No… You're definitely more valuable alive and since your best friend and myself have been zeroed out you could potentially be a target, if it isn't really either of us anyway," Booth told her.

"But that's illogical. Why would I be safer with two potential targets than in a secure lab and why would this killer go after people who aren't the intended target first?"

"First of all, I said it was possible that Angela and I are not the target not that we definitely weren't. Secondly, do I really need to remind you of our third Epps encounter we had…He sent Angela a heart, used my son, poisoned Cam, and tried to blow up Zach and me when you were his target. And let's not forget about Kenton blowing me up with your refrigerator because you were getting to close to matching his gun to the bullet hole so he wanted you dead…" Booth started his rant.

"That last one was your own fault… You were being overprotective and paranoid again. I told you before I can take care of myself, like when I beat up Ortez."

"Yeah, leaving me to get him to take off the hit he put on you so you didn't end up dead!" Booth said not thinking or realizing what he said.

"…What did you just say?..." Brennan asked after a moment.

"I don't know I really wasn't paying attention," Booth told her smiling slightly and sheepishly.

"Oh boy… I'm out of here," Angela said rising from where she was seated on the couch.

"Sit back down, Angela. I told you, you go nowhere alone," Booth told her after realizing she heard everything. Both Brennan and Booth had forgotten that they weren't alone. "Now, refresh my memory, Bones, What did I say?"

"You pretty much told her that Ortez put a hit out on her that you took care of," Angela informed him.

"Yeah… thank you Angela," Booth said glaring at her.

"I'll shut up now…"

"Good… Is that really what I said Bones?"

Brennan still too stunned to really speak just nodded.

"Yeah… ok… um…" Booth started to try to put words to what happened

"What did you do, Booth?" Brennan asked finding her voice.

"Um… Can I not answer that?" Booth asked pretty certain that he sounded like he was begging.

Angela took pity on him knowing that Brennan wouldn't drop the question unless another was asked so she asked him "That's why you were late to the funeral, wasn't it?"

Booth could tell it was more of a statement to distract Brennan but he still felt the need to respond. "Yes, it was," looking at Brennan now he continued, "I know you asked me to be there but as I told you at that time I had something more important to do… prevent your own funeral."

"Wow… seriously when are you both gonna hook up. That is like so hot!" Angela told them.

"We're just partners, Angela," they said at the same time.

"Uh huh, sweeties, you haven't been 'just partners' since that Cleo Eller case… Now when are we getting out of here?"

"Right now," Booth told them.

They started walking to the door informing Cam as they were leaving that they would not be back that day seeing as it was nearing 2:00pm anyway. Booth suggested that she still keep the lab under heavier security though, just to be on the safe side. The three of them were walking toward where Booth left the SUV after leaving the lab when he stuck his arm out indicating that they should stop.

"What's up, Booth… Why are we stopping?" Brennan asked him.

Booth pointed subtly to a black car parked a little ways away, with two men sitting in the front with their heads completely blocked by their hats and their heads were down as well casting strange shadows. "That car was there when we went in, both men inside the car also." Booth noticed one of the men make a subtle movement so he knew they weren't dead. "They aren't dead at least… stay close while we head to my SUV though." The SUV was a little bit further away than the black car. Booth decided to rest his hand on his gun at his hip just in case. As they started walking again Booth saw the car start to unroll one of the windows and pull out in the same direction they were walking in. He then noticed the metal glint of a gun coming out the window. Brennan and Angela had been walking about a step in front of him when he first noticed it. "GET DOWN!" He told them pushing them lightly to the floor as the shots started coming. Booth was barely able to get his gun out, but he was able to fire two bullets into the bumper of the car. Just as fast as it started it ended, but not before the killer got lucky. The killer saw the bullet hit, but it wasn't a hit to kill, just to injure.

The killer still wanted revenge and he would get it either through his target or his targets friends and family. The killer was sure that they were going to succeed.

But were they going to get away with the plans was the question.

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 2 let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!**


	3. A New Problem

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**ok so my memory stick is still snapped in half but you lucked out that I actually had free time last night and was bored so I tracked down the notebook where I had written chapter 3 down and re-typed it all. But I figured I'd get a chapter out today and try to get back to my schedule, but I'm not going to be able to post anything starting Friday midday for about a week and a half because I'll be away, but I will try to post either Thursday night or Friday before I leave. I make no promises though. I will also try to post the day I get home or the following day.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_As they started walking again Booth saw the car start to unroll one of the windows and pull out in the same direction they were walking in. He then noticed the metal glint of a gun coming out the window. Brennan and Angela had been walking about a step in front of him when he first noticed it. "GET DOWN!" He told them pushing them lightly to the floor as the shots started coming. Booth was barely able to get his gun out but he was able to fire two bullets into the bumper of the car. Just as fast as it started it ended, but not before the killer got lucky. The killer saw the bullet hit, but it wasn't a hit to kill, just to injure._

_The killer still wanted revenge and he would get it either through his target or his targets friends and family. The killer was sure that they were going to succeed._

_But were they going to get away with the plans was the question._

* * *

**Killing for Revenge**

**Chapter 3: A New Problem!**

* * *

"Are you both alright?" Booth asked them sitting up from where he had pushed them all to the floor wincing at the pain he was now feeling in his left shoulder after the adrenaline rush wore off.

"I'm fine," Brennan started to say getting into a sitting position with Angela. Then she noticed the blood on his shirt at his left shoulder. "Booth, you were hit though so why are you asking us if we're ok?" Brennan moved closer to him to start to inspect the injury.

"Bones, relax, I'm fine," Booth told her trying to hide the wincing from her. He knew though that she wasn't going to cave in when it came to making sure he was ok so he tossed his cell phone to Angela. "Would you mind calling this incident in, Angela? Also let them know that the black car will have two bullets in the back bumper from my gun."

"Um… Yeah sure, Booth," Angela said catching his phone.

"Angela, also ask that the two agents Booth requested for your protection meet us at the hospital," Brennan told her. Angela put the phone to her ear and started informing the FBI of what had occurred.

"Huh… Why?" Booth asked Brennan.

"Because, Booth, even though you say you are fine there is no exit hole from the bullet," Brennan told him keeping some pressure on his shoulder to slow the flow of blood.

"Oh," Booth said. At this point Angela hung up the phone.

"It's all called in. The agents are going to meet us at the hospital like you requested Bren… Now why are we going to the hospital anyway?"

"Booth still has the bullet in his shoulder. It needs to be removed," Brennan informed her as all three of them started to get off the ground. Booth swayed slightly from the amount of blood he was losing. Brennan kept one hand on his shoulder and held the other out to him. Booth looked at her questioningly.

"Car keys… You are not driving with a bullet in your shoulder."

"But I always drive," he said in a whining voice causing Angela to laugh lightly.

"Too bad… Now give them to me." Booth took the keys out of his pocket grumbling something about it not being fair since it was his car and he had another arm to which Angela started laughing harder. Booth took over with keeping pressure on his shoulder so that Brennan didn't have to. The three of them started walking to the SUV when they noticed Cam, Hodgins, and Wendell running toward them.

"Security just told us what happened. Are you three alright?" Cam asked as Hodgins went over to Angela because even though they were not a couple anymore he still cared for her.

"Jack… relax, I'm fine," she said pushing him back slightly because he was smothering her, "Booth pushed me and Bren out of the way."

"Yes, and now if you don't mind Booth still has a bullet in his arm that needs to be removed at the hospital." Brennan told them getting impatient.

"Relax, Bones, I'm alright ok… You're getting impatient," Booth told her chuckling lightly trying to avoid moving his shoulder. Wendell laughed at his stubbornness learning to expect it from him.

"Let me see the arm quickly," Cam told them moving closer to Booth.

"Camille…" Booth started to whine.

"Seeley… quit whining and don't call me Camille," she said removing his hand from his shoulder. She took a moment to look at it carefully. "Well looks like you lucked out again. It looks like the bullet went in at an angle causing it to hit the bone slightly and stop. They will probably just need to x-ray your arm to find and remove the bullet. You should only need a few stitches too… your arm will probably be sore for a few days though and you may or may not need a sling, but if you do it won't be for long."

"That's good news at least," Booth responded putting his hand back on his shoulder.

"Now, go get to the hospital you three; Hodgins, Wendell, and I will close up the lab and meet you there in a little while," Cam told Angela, Brennan, and Booth.

"Ok… we'll see you later," Brennan said. The three of them walked to the SUV and Brennan got in the driver's seat smirking at Booth, who just glared at her getting into the passenger seat.

After about ten minutes they pulled into the hospital. They climbed out of the SUV and walked toward the entrance. Booth grabbed the duffle bag he had in his trunk and put his gun in it in a small case.

"See, Booth, I told you I am a very good driver.

"Yeah, don't get used to it… my car, I drive… now give me back my keys."

"No, they are probably going to be putting you under anesthesia anyway so you won't be able to drive home and you'll also have to get rid of any metal you have with you before you go up to be x-rayed."

"Yeah, can you hold onto my cell and bag for me?"

"Sure, Booth. Why did you bring the bag anyway?"

"Always have a spare change of clothes with me just in case. I figured I'd want a clean shirt to leave," Booth said giving her his cell phone and bag. Brennan put the cell phone in her pocket as they walked through the door. After walking into the waiting room, Booth saw the two agents they sent for security detail.

Booth turned to Brennan and Angela. "Neither of you are to leave this hospital until I leave with you to take you to Angela's apartment."

"Why?... Isn't that our protection over there?" Brennan asked seeing the standard black suit and tie with badge.

"Yeah, but that is Agents Mark Johnson and Pat Levy, the two newest agents… they started about two weeks ago. I really don't trust them with something this big yet. They are still way to new… this is probably one of their first if not their first assignment."

"Oh," Brennan said. The three of them made their way over toward the two agents.

"Mark, Pat, this is Dr. Brennan and Ms. Montenegro. Drs. Hodgins, and Saroyan and Mr. Bray will be joining you shortly. You are also not to leave this hospital until I am leaving with you which hopefully shouldn't be too long. Sorry, but I think you both are still to new for this assignment. We are dealing with a serial killer who's gotten a letter to my office and targeted a member of the Jeffersonian team."

"We thought the same thing, sir, so we really weren't planning on leaving. We also already went up to the desk on Cullen's orders and told the staff at the desk to be expecting you. They said go right up to the desk when you got here and they would send you right up for x-rays and bullet removal."

"Ok, great no waiting, the way I prefer it when I get stuck coming to a hospital," Booth told them starting to walk to the desk, "see you in a little while."

"Booth," Brennan called to him making him stop and turn around. "See you in recovery."

"Yeah, Bones." He turned back around and continued to the desk. He was soon led to an area through a set of doors to be x-rayed by a doctor. A few minutes later Cam, Hodgins, Wendell, and Sweets walked in. Angela, Brennan, and the two agents were sitting in chairs.

"I heard what happened from Cullen," Sweets said as they approached Angela and Brennan. "Are you both ok?"

"Yes, we're fine. Booth was taken to x-ray a few minutes ago," Brennan informed them. "We now just have to wait to hear from the doctor after they take the x-rays to find out where the bullet is and the damage it did. We were just told that Booth told the doctor to give us any information as it comes so we should stay close. Booth told us not to leave anyway though."

They talked for awhile about anything and everything waiting for information on Booth. A doctor came over to them. It happened to be the doctor Booth normally had when he came in for injuries, Dr. Jimmy Andrews

"You are here with Agent Booth, correct?"

"Yes, we are," Brennan said standing up. "How is he?"

"Well thankfully the bullet did minor damage. It appears from the x-rays that the bullet hit him at an angle so it hit the bone, but Agent Booth informed me that it was a fairly old gun that was not well maintained, if he was hit with the gun he thought he was hit with. This explains why the bullet didn't lodge itself in the bone. Since it went in at an angle though it is lower in his arm so we need to put him under anesthesia for awhile to make an incision and remove the bullet. We want to be sure that the muscle near the bullet doesn't move because that could cause more problems than the bullet, which is why we're putting him fully under. We are prepping him now and will let you know when he is out. He will still be out cold for awhile after though. He has also requested that we give a member of your team the bullet after we remove it."

"Yes, thank you," Brennan said as the doctor left. They sat for awhile in silence but then the phone in Brennan's pocket began to ring. She took it out. "It's Booth's phone," she said looking at it trying to figure out if she should answer it.

"Just answer it Sweetie, it could be something important about the case," Angela told her.

"Booth's phone, Dr. Brennan speaking."

"Oh… um… hi Dr. Brennan… um… It's Rebecca… Is Seeley there?"

"Um… no he isn't… um… What do you need?" Brennan asked hesitantly, earning her looks of confusion from her coworkers who have never really known her not know what to say.

"Oh… um I was wondering if he could watch Parker for a couple of hours… now… I know it's extremely last minute but his normal sitter just called, and she's having major family issues right now so something came up and now she can't come in the ten minutes we had planned so…"

"Rebecca, I'm sure on any other day he would be ecstatic to have extra time with his son, but today just really won't work because of unforeseen events."

"I don't see why you are deciding for him. Put him on." Rebecca said getting frustrated.

"Rebecca… Booth is going to be in surgery for awhile… He got shot in the shoulder… He's fine but the bullet is still in his arm so it needs to be removed. Luckily it only did minor damages."

"Wait… What happened?"

"We figured out with the case we are working on… Booth mentioned it to you, the one with the missing boys… well we figured out through a message to his office that the person taking them is trying to get to one of us. Booth was taking over protection detail when he noticed the same car from before. The men in the car started shooting at Angela, myself, and Booth. He pushed the two of us out of the way."

"Oh…wow… ok… that's… um… did they at least catch the guys?"

"They're looking now. Booth was able to put two bullets into the bumper so hopefully that will lead somewhere… as for your situation with Parker, I may have an idea because if I tell Booth you were looking for him to take Parker for awhile but missed the chance because he was in the hospital I'd probably never be able to get him to go back when he gets blown up or shot again. What if you bring Parker and things for him to do here to the hospital and when Booth wakes up and gets discharged we are all going to head to Angela's apartment with the agents that are protecting us, and let Parker spend the night with his dad, Hodgins, and Wendell. They can show him a few experiments that he loves. He'd get to spend time with his dad too. I know this case has been hardest on Booth because of the ages of the boys, so I think this would make all three of you happy because than you can do what you need to do and I don't mind watching Parker while Booth is still under so…"

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan… I'll be right over," she said hanging up the phone.

"Was that Booth's Ex, Parker's mom?" Wendell asked Brennan when she closed the phone partially knowing the answer from conversations he had with Booth in the locker room before and after hockey games and practices.

"Yes, Rebecca needs someone to watch Parker, so I volunteered so that Booth would still get some time with his son. I was thinking maybe Hodgins and you could also show him some new experiments."

"I'd love to Dr. B. We could also race bugs. I'd suggest instead of Angela's apartment though we head to my place because it is much bigger," Hodgins told Brennan. "It also has a security system, help out the agents somewhat."

"Ok, that sounds fairly logical."

A short time later Parker and Rebecca arrived. Parker saw Brennan almost instantly and ran over to her, giving her a hug as she started to stand.

"Hi, Bones!"

"Hi Parker, why don't you go say hi to Angela and everyone… I think Hodgins and Wendell are thinking up some interesting experiments for the three of you to do."

"Ok," Parker said running over to them.

"Hello Dr. Brennan. Thank you so much for doing this," Rebecca said to her.

"Not a problem."

"Have you gotten any word on how he's doing yet?"

"Not yet. His doctor should be out soon though if you want to wait."

"No, I can't. I'm already late… just call me if anything goes wrong. If I don't hear from you I will assume everything went well."

"Yes, of course, no problem."

"Take care of him, I know Seeley and he can be a real pain in the ass when he's injured because he still wants to do everything he is not supposed to do."

"I know. He even broke out of the hospital after landing in the ICU from being blown up by my fridge. Granted that was to save my life but…"

"Wow… that's worse than I thought he could get… I really have to go now though… bye Parker, be good," Rebecca said bending down to give Parker a kiss on the forehead.

After about another twenty, which made Brennan start to freak out because this was ten minutes over the time it was supposed to take, the doctor came out.

"How is he?" Cam was the first to ask as everyone, except Parker who was playing one of his video games, stood.

"The surgery went well. We removed the bullet and like I promised here it is," the doctor said giving Cam the bullet in a bag. "It was a little closer to the muscle than I thought though so he will need to keep his arm in a sling for at least 24 hours, but I suggest he try to refrain from moving the arm for a few days because movement will cause pain, but it's up to him. We will also give him a script for some painkillers before he leaves if he wants it. He also lucked out, he didn't need that many stitches so we used the dissolvable stitches that will dissolve as he heals, which with his normal recovery times be about three days at the most, which will allow him to avoid coming back to get them removed."

"Ok. Thank you. Can we see him now?" Brennan asked.

"He's being moved to recovery now and should still be unconscious for a few hours from the drugs, but yes you can see him, only one or two though because the room is fairly small and would get overcrowded."

"Can myself and his son go in, then?" Brennan asked.

"Sure, right this way."

"Hey Parker?"

"Yes, Bones?" Parker questioned looking up from his game.

"Do you want to go and see your dad now?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah!" He hopped up from his seat.

"Ok, bring your game with you because he will probably be asleep for awhile."

"Ok." They both followed the doctor to the room Booth was in. His left arm was fairly heavily bandaged from his shoulder to just above his elbow. His arm was also in a sling and he was shirtless from the surgery. Brennan sat in the chair, putting Booth's bag with clothing on the floor next to her, and was a little shocked when Parker climbed up onto her lap. While they were waiting for Booth to wake up Parker started asking her many science questions. She answered them as well as she could in terms he could understand. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice the time flying by. They also failed to notice when Booth's eyes opened and he rolled his head to the side to look at them a few minutes earlier.

"Are you trying to turn my son into a squint, Bones?" Booth asked smiling, still sounding a little groggy due to the drugs. Brennan jumped at the sound of his voice slightly, causing him to laugh lightly. "Caught in the act." Brennan smiled back at him. Parker jumped off her lap and went to give his dad a hug.

"Remember, Parker, go easy on your dad."

"Relax, Bones, he's fine… get over here, bub," he said opening his good arm to him and receiving a large hug. Brennan guessed he would also be confused of why Parker was there, so she told him of Rebecca's call and Parker staying the night. He looked pleased with that.

"How are you feeling, Booth?"

"Not bad actually… arm's a little sore but other than that I'm good." He sat up a little further on the bed.

"Yeah… let me go get your doctor to explain things for you and to let him know you're awake." Brennan left the room and came back with the doctor a few minutes later. He explained the same thing to Booth as he did with his friends.

"Ok… so when can I get out of here?" He asked. Brennan rolled her eyes as the doctor laughed.

"How'd I know you were going to ask that… let me get the discharge papers while you get your shirt on, then we'll make sure you aren't still too heavily medicated and can walk and if you can we'll get you out of here."

"Great!"

Brennan opened his bag and noticed he had two shirts inside and a pair of jeans. One of the shirts was a pull-over T-shirt and the other was a button down dress shirt. "Which shirt do you want and do you want the jeans too?"

"Give me the button down. It will be easier to put on and I'll just keep my dress pants on. Thanks."

Brennan handed him the shirt he requested and he slipped it on carefully over his left arm before putting it on his right and buttoned it skillfully with one had. He left the sleeves rolled up to his elbows were though because that was where they were already rolled to. The doctor then came in with the papers which he signed. They got him standing fine and the doctor told him that he was good to go, but to take it easy for at least the first 24 hours and no driving to which Brennan smirked. Booth, Brennan, and Parker left the room with Brennan insisting she carry his bag. When they made it to the waiting room the others were in Angela got up and ran to Booth giving him a large hug.

"Easy Angela. I told you I'm fine, a little sore but fine," Booth told her chuckling lightly and attempting to hug her with one arm.

"Good to hear Seeley," Cam told him.

"Don't call me Seeley, Camille." Just than he noticed Sweets sitting next to Hodgins. "Oh no, don't tell me the 12 year old is here to shrink me about the shooting and shooting the car, cause that is not happening."

"No, I heard from Cullen what happened so I went to the lab and they were all on their way over so I followed." At this point Cullen walked in.

"Booth, don't tell me you're being a pain in the ass to your doctor again, demanding to be discharged," Cullen said smiling. "You do know most agents would be happy to take time off for getting shot… but nooo not you."

"Yeah well… and No sir, this time they actually discharged me willingly. Any luck on the black car I shot?"

"Found in a ditch near a highway, abandoned. We looked into the ownership and found that it was reported stolen around the same time the gun was. What are you planning on now though?"

"Well these squints aren't getting rid of me unless they are in the lab with increased security but I really haven't figured much more than that out yet."

"We actually came up with an idea while Dr. Brennan and Parker were with Booth," Cam told Cullen.

"Well let's hear it," Cullen said.

"I actually own a second home close by, it's not as big so I rarely use it but I still have priceless items in it so I actually have an even better security system there than in my normal estate. We could all stay there. There is still plenty of room for all ten of us," Hodgins said. In his count he included the two agents and Parker.

"That would work… Sir?" Booth asked.

"Just be careful," Cullen told them leaving.

The team, with the two agents and Parker, all piled into the cars. The drive to Hodgins's second estate took about 40 minutes. The estate ended up being fairly secluded and surrounded by trees which made Booth happy. After they got into the house Booth asked Hodgins for a plan of the house so that he would be able to locate the weak points in security in case of an intruder. Hodgins gave him the plans and explained the security system to him. Booth noticed how the sitting room was basically in the center of the estate and would be a good place to hear anything abnormal. It was a descent distance from the security room but Booth figured going by sound would be better because after it got dark he wasn't sure the cameras would be of much use.

"Do you mind if the agents and I stay in the sitting room? It would be the best location for us if something happens," Booth said to him.

"Wherever you want and think is best, G-man, but aren't you supposed to be relaxing and taking it easy?" Hodgins asked noticing his gun in its holster on his hip again.

"Yeah, but did you honestly think that it would happen that way. You know me."

"True, G-man, just try to take it easy cause otherwise Dr. B will kill you."

"Yeah I know."

While Hodgins, Booth, Mark, and Pat went over the estate plans and many security systems, the others were preparing food and Parker was watching cartoons on the big screen TV Hodgins showed him, because while Parker wanted to look at some bugs Booth explained to him that he needed Hodgins help for a little while first. Hodgins promised as soon as he was done he would show him some awesome bugs. They had decided on the way over that they were also going to head to bed early so that they would be well rested if something were to happen. Booth looked at the plans and pointed to seven rooms that were all off the sitting room.

"These rooms will be the safest rooms on the estate. These should be the ones we use," Booth told Hodgins while pointing at the rooms.

"Ok but what about you, Mark and Pat?" Hodgins asked.

"We'll be out here keeping watch for anything suspicious."

"Ok."

"Food's up," Angela told them coming into the room.

"Great, I'm starving," Booth said. "Just let me go get Parker."

"Bren already went to get him," Angela informed Booth.

"Great, let's go eat then!"

They talked about anything and everything while eating. Parker, Wendell and Hodgins finished quickly so that Hodgins and Wendell could show Parker the bugs he promised while Booth told the others the plan. When his son was no longer at the table Booth explained to them which rooms they were using and that they were going to turn in early to be well rested, just in case. As he finished he noticed Brennan glaring at him.

"What's up, Bones? Why are you glaring at me?"

"You have your gun on your hip again and neglected to give yourself a room."

"Yes, that's true; Mark, Pat and me are going to stay in the sitting room to keep watch. We'll take turns resting on the couch."

"You're supposed to be taking it easy!"

"Yeah, but I'd rather make sure we live through this first. Sorry if living is more important to me than resting. I will however at least keep the arm in the sling."

"Fine," Brennan said crossing her arms and huffing, she then got this wicked gleam in her eyes. "But I'm driving tomorrow also so that you can rest on our way back."

Booth knowing that he was going to lose this battle told her "fine, but after tomorrow I go back to driving."

"Deal."

Cam had just watched this conversation being very amused. She knew Brennan had Booth so wrapped around her finger it wasn't even funny. She was fairly certain she didn't even have that much power over him when they were together. The group finished talking about their plans and then spoke and joked about anything for awhile.

"We should turn in," Booth told them after some time as he went to get Parker ready for bed. The others went to the rooms that Booth told them would be best. After he put Parker to bed he joined the other agents. They decided that Booth and Mark would take the first shift, Pat and Mark the second, and Booth and Pat the third. Pat laid on the couch and went to sleep. Booth and Mark spent the shift talking quietly. Booth then got Pat up when the first shift was over and laid down on the couch himself, on his right side trying not to jostle his left arm. He was just starting to drift off when he heard a muffled noise. He sat up and signaled to the agents to be quiet. He heard the noise again. He figured it was the sound of a car door slamming. At first he didn't think anything of it, then he remembered that they were fairly secluded. That's when the three agents smelt the smell you definitely don't want to smell when surrounded by trees, gas. This was quickly followed by the smell of burning and at the rate the heat and smell was increasing they realized they didn't have much time at all.

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 3 let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... and yes I realize after this chapter you're probably going I thought Parker was missing, but I couldn't just start with him missing, I needed him earlier first.**


	4. More Danger?

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**ok so its been a while, sorry, but while I was on vacation I had to register online for my classes for next semester so I found a quick connection that ended up giving my computer a horrible virus and hacker to the point of that computer won't even turn on anymore...hopefully it can be fixed by the repair guy but I also happened to be working on my memory stick when both hit... my memory stick was finally checked out and it's actually virus free thankfully but up until yesterday that was unknown. I would have posted sooner still but since I was not able to keep working on assignments over break and would have needed to re-type chapter 4 from my notebook I needed to keep working on my assignments instead of re-typing this chapter... Hope you enjoy this chapter... leave a review...**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_They decided that Booth and Mark would take the first shift, Pat and Mark the second, and Booth and Pat the third. Pat laid on the couch and went to sleep. Booth and Mark spent the shift talking quietly. Booth then got Pat up when the first shift was over and laid down on the couch himself, on his right side trying not to jostle his left arm. He was just starting to drift off when he heard a muffled noise. He sat up and signaled to the agents to be quiet. He heard the noise again. He figured it was the sound of a car door slamming. At first he didn't think anything of it, then he remembered that they were fairly secluded. That's when the three agents smelt the smell you definitely don't want to smell when surrounded by trees, gas. This was quickly followed by the smell of burning and at the rate the heat and smell was increasing they realized they didn't have much time at all._

* * *

**Killing for Revenge**

**Chapter 4: More Danger?**

* * *

Once Booth smelt the smoke and gas he sprung into action. "Mark, Pat, start getting the others out," he told them as he went running toward the security room to grab the tapes to hopefully get the guy or car caught on film. Mark and Pat made quick work of knocking on the doors and shouting about the fires. As doors were opening the two agents went outside to see if the car was still there. It wasn't. Shortly after, everyone else rushed outside. Brennan looked around.

"Where's Parker?" Brennan asked.

The agents looked around. "Shit, Booth's going to murder us," Mark told Pat. Brennan ran back in to go and find Parker. The others stared after her knowing that they could not stop her. A couple of minutes later Booth came out with his arm full of security tapes and coughing because of the smoke. He noticed instantly something was off.

"Where's Parker and Bones?"

"We don't know, Dr. Brennan ran back in to find him but neither have come out," Pat said looking nervous. Booth shoved the videos into the agent's arms and ran back inside.

"Shouldn't we stop him?" Angela asked.

"No point. He wouldn't listen anyway," Wendell said

"He loves them too much," Cam added. "You should know that by now. You are the one trying constantly to get them together."

"Yeah, I do, I just worry about them. One day they're gonna get themselves killed," Angela said her voice wavering slightly. She then asked "Should we call for help?"

"Not needed, the security system and fire system are connected to the police and fire departments. They will be on their way already…All we have to do is wait."

* * *

******_Inside the Estate_**

"Bones…Parker," Booth called choking somewhat on the smoke. He was headed to the room Parker was staying in. He knew it was probably pretty stupid of him to rush back in with one arm in a sling, but he didn't care because he cared about them too much. As he was walking to the room he heard a groan. "Bones…Parker?" he repeated still choking on smoke. He heard the groan again and looked in the direction it was coming from. He saw part of the ceiling had collapsed, directly on Brennan's leg. He hurried over to her. He slid his good arm under the largest piece of the ceiling and lifted it off of her, which wasn't that easy with the lack of oxygen. "You ok, Bones?" he choked out.

"I don't know. I can't move my ankle," she told him coughing slightly from the smoke. "Go find Parker."

"I will, but you're coming too."

"I can't walk."

"Don't care, I'll carry you. Get on my back."

"There's not enough oxygen for you to be straining yourself, and I'll hurt your shoulder and back."

"Don't care, let's go." He helped her onto his back which was not easy with one arm and lacking in oxygen. His shoulder was really throbbing from her weight, but he didn't care and wasn't going to say anything. He just wanted to get the three of them out. He started walking toward Parker's room again, but it was not easy because more and more of the ceiling was collapsing, some pieces still on fire. Booth was choking even more harshly because of the smoke.

"Booth, just leave me here."

"No chance, Bones," Booth said but because she distracted him for a moment he didn't see the piece of flaming roof falling until it landed on his good arm, sliding down. He groaned in pain and almost dropped her.

"Boo—"

"Don't even say it." Booth made his way to the door of the room. He noticed it was still closed. There was also a wall of fire blocking the door. He put Brennan on the table by the door since it was still partially away from the fire and motioned for her to stay put and as far away from the fire as possible. Booth walked back to the door and shielding his face went through the flames as quick as possible, busting the door down. He saw Parker as soon as he was in the door. He was sitting in the corner farthest from the door and fire, looking terrified. He ran at his father the second he saw him. Parker was sobbing. "I've got you, bub," Booth told him scooping him up in his arm, shielding him completely using his entire body as he went back through the doorway.

Brennan saw him come through the doorway and was honestly shocked he was still standing because he was now covered in burns and choking quite heavily. "Hold onto Parker with your right arm and wrap your left around my neck," Booth told her turning around when he was in front of her. She did as she was told, knowing that if she started arguing it would waste time and he would probably drop from the strain and exhaustion soon. Booth took hold of her as she held Parker up and quickly headed to the door and safety again, dodging pieces of falling ceiling.

* * *

**_Back Outside_**

"Shouldn't they be out by now?" Angela asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Ms. Montenegro, just relax, Agent Booth knows what he is doing. You should hear some of the stories of him that go around the FBI. He really is a legend and the best," Mark told her. Everyone was still very worried. They were all staring at the entrance that Booth went in. It was also now blocked by flames. Help had still not arrived. Then they saw a large shadow coming through the flames. The agents quickly put down the security tapes they were holding and went closer to the door with Hodgins and Wendell, just in case they were needed. As the four of them approached they saw Booth carrying both Brennan and Parker. Angela saw them from a distance and gasped. Booth looked like he was barely standing at this point. Mark and Hodgins helped Brennan off of Booth's back. She kept the weight off of her left leg which was still throbbing from being crushed. Pat and Wendell saw that there was no way they were going to get Parker out of his arm so they just stayed close to make sure Booth wouldn't collapse. They went back toward the others. Brennan sat on the ground, carefully, coughing lightly from smoke inhalation. Booth plopped onto the ground next to her, less carefully because of the pain and exhaustion he was starting to feel now that the adrenalin rush was wearing off.

"I've got you, bub... It's ok… shh… I'm right here," Booth was telling Parker, trying to get him to quiet down. Booth carefully shifted Parker on his lap, trying not to cause himself more pain. He also started rocking Parker back and forth, which started calming him quite effectively. Booth looked to Brennan after he started to calm. "How's the leg, Bones?" he asked her sounding a little hoarse from the amount of choking he's been doing from the smoke.

"It's ok… I think the ceiling just bruised the ankle because my leg isn't swollen. How is your… well everything, I guess?" she asked him noticing how he had many burns from shielding them. She noted that he must have kept his head bent because the burns were mainly on his right arm, legs, chest, and stomach.

"Sore." He leaned back on the grass trying to soothe the pain he was in. Parker had calmed down enough to the point that he was sound asleep on his chest. Booth then heard the sirens coming closer. "'Bout time," he muttered quietly hoping not to be heard. This caused Brennan to laugh lightly.

Cam squatted next to Booth and looked at him. He had his eyes closed and appeared to be trying to relax, but was still coughing slightly. It was still a violent enough cough however, that she was surprised Parker was able to sleep right through it. She was about to speak, but the sound of Booth's voice startled her because she didn't know he was aware of her presence.

"Now I know how the dead bodies feel when you examine them, Camille," he said with his eyes still closed.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Former sniper. I heard you coming and unless the guys wear heels now…" Cam laughed.

"How are you doing? Truthfully."

"Not that bad, burns are… well burning, arm is still sore from the bullet, but I'm good." He opened one eye to look at her so she knew he wasn't really lying. Booth heard the sirens coming closer. As soon as they got to the scene the firemen got to work putting out the fire as the EMTs looked over Booth, Parker, and Brennan. Even as injured as he was Booth insisted they look over his son and Brennan first, while he finished talking to Cam. "Can you also call Rebecca for me now and let her know that there was a fire, but Parker is completely fine, and that when we are allowed to leave the scene we will be heading to the Jeffersonian if she wants to join us?" Booth asked her giving her his phone that was in his right pants pocket and surprisingly still useable.

"No problem… If I was you I wouldn't want to talk to her right now either," she told him, then she noticed his son, who was woken up to be checked over, standing by Brennan. Both had been checked over. "Looks like they're done so get your ass over there to be checked." Booth started to sit up and groaned slightly from the burns and his muscles protesting against movement.

"Ugh… I'm definitely gonna feel this tomorrow," Booth said groaning.

Cam chuckled lightly knowing he was still trying to be a smartass. "You're gonna be feeling this for the next few days, at least." Booth groaned again as she said this while getting off the ground.

"That's just great," he grumbled as he walked over to Brennan and Parker. Parker threw himself back into his arm. While he wasn't crying anymore he was still hesitant and scared to leave his dad. Booth knelt on the ground to hug him easier. "It's ok… I'm right here… It's okay." Booth looked to Brennan, "how's the leg, Bones?"

"It's fine, ankle's just badly bruised like I said. They put a wrap on it. They looked Parker over. He is perfectly fine… you must have kept him covered well; he only had two first degree burns on his right arm, very small ones too. You don't look like you lucked out as much as us though. You should get checked out and have those burns taken care of. They should also make sure you didn't pull out any stitches in your shoulder." She crouched down to Parkers level and spoke softly to him. "Parker, why don't we let them take care of your dad, then you can go right back to him but you can stay right here with me while he's being helped, ok?" she asked him reaching her arm out to him.

"Ok, Bones," he said going into her arms.

"I'll see you in a few minutes, bub," Booth said kissing him on top of the head. He then looked up to Brennan, "thanks, Bones," he told her as she walked with Parker a little further away. He got up off the floor and the paramedics made him sit on the back of the ambulance. They quickly looked him over and decided that most of his burns were second degree with a few approaching third degree. They also noted that his right arm was the worst of it because of the gash from the ceiling. He lucked out that it didn't need stitches. They quickly took care of his new injuries and wrapped them to provide protection. They also made sure he didn't pull out any of his stitches. They told him he was free to go, but to take it easy and move slowly because otherwise he would hurt more. Booth made his way back over to Parker and Brennan and Parker threw himself into his arm again. Brennan came over to him and hugged him carefully.

"Thank you," she told him softly, releasing him from the hug. "You ok?" she asked him a little louder.

"Yeah, mostly second degree burns and the arm with the gash was the worst of it."

Cam came over to them and handed Booth his phone back. "Just got off the phone with Rebecca… good luck. I told her Parker was fine, just scared a little, but she was still furious. She's going to meet us at the lab. How are both of you?"

"I have a bruised ankle and Booth has mostly second degree burns." All of them noticed that the fire had been put out and that the agents were headed toward them.

"Agent Booth, we were just informed that we can leave as soon as everyone's ready," Pat told him.

"Great, let's head to the lab then. Do you have the tapes?"

"In the car."

"Great let's go." The car arrangements were a little different this time since Booth didn't want Brennan driving now with a hurt ankle, so Parker, Booth, Brennan, and Pat took Booth's SUV and everyone else piled into the other two cars. Booth took the back seat to stay with Parker while Pat drove. The drive to the lab was silent.

They pulled into the lot and Brennan opened her door while Pat got out. They were the first to arrive. She noticed Booth had not opened his door so she looked into the backseat. She smiled. Both father and son were sound asleep, Parker with his head on Booth's left arm just below the bullet wound and Booth with his head against the door frame. They were also in the exact same positions, both with their mouths slightly open and a little drool hanging from their mouths. She now understood the phrase 'like father, like son'. She really didn't want to wake him since she knew from going on undercover missions with him that he was an extremely light sleeper and alert even when completely asleep. The fact that she could stare at him like this just proved to her how exhausted and in pain he was. She reached back and put her hand lightly on his left knee and rubbed her hand up and down.

"Booth," she whispered when his eyes started to open, "Come on we're here. You and Parker can go back to sleep on the couch in my office when we get inside. I'll let you know when Rebecca gets here or if we get any new information." Booth was too tired to argue and his brain wasn't functioning quick enough after his nap to come up with a quick argument, so he just nodded, moving Parker carefully onto his lap to pick him up and get out of the car. Pat got the tapes out of the trunk.

The walk into the lab was silent but when they got there Brennan quickly ordered increased security and told Pat to wait in front of the platform. She led Booth to her office even though they both knew that he knew where it was. She motioned toward the couch once they were inside, to which he gratefully dropped down on, with his head on one armrest and Parker curled into his right arm which was next to the back of the couch. He was half on his chest and half on the gash on his arm, but Booth hardly noticed because once his head hit the armrest he was pretty much unconscious again. Brennan took the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over them. She then kissed both of them on the forehead. She didn't know why she did it but it felt right. Booth sighed sounding content and smiled softly in his sleep. She left the office closing the door quietly. She swiped herself and Pat up onto the platform.

"Just put the videos on that table for now," Brennan told him pointing to one of the tables that didn't have a body on it. At this point the others arrived at the lab. Cam swiped them all up to the platform and looked around.

"Where's Booth?"

"Asleep with Parker on my couch. Now can we get to work analyzing the tapes to see if we can get something?"

"Right… Angela, do you think using the Angelator you'll be able to work out the car, person, and anything else useful from the video?" Cam asked.

"It's possible. I'll go work on it right now." She took the tapes. There were about twelve of them because Booth wasn't sure which cameras would provide the best picture. She left the platform for her office.

"I can help if you want since I know the grounds," Hodgins told Cam.

"Fine by me, not much else to do right now anyway."

The others stayed on the platform trying to figure out a course of action. They were hoping that the tapes would at least provide some clues. A couple minutes later Rebecca walked into the lab escorted by security. The teams' backs were to the entrance so they did not see her come in.

"Where is he?" Rebecca asked almost franticly. The team turned around at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, Rebecca, both Booth and Parker are asleep in my office. You can relax. Parker is fine. He was a little scared and wouldn't leave his dad's arm, but he's ok. Come on, I'll show you to my office." Brennan left everyone else on the platform and led Rebecca to her office. She turned to Rebecca before opening the door. "I'll warn you before we go in while Parker is ok Booth doesn't look too well." She opened the door to her office silently. They were in the same position she had left them in. Rebecca let out a soft gasp at the sight of Booth. His right arm was completely wrapped, left arm in a sling, and his holey shirt allowed her to see some of the bandages on his chest and stomach. She calmed a little however once she saw Parker only had one small bandage on his arm and was sleeping peacefully.

"What happened to him?" Rebecca asked quietly trying not to wake them. Booth started to stir anyway.

"Well you already know he was shot in the shoulder, but he also got caught in the fire protecting me and Parker because we were trapped by a wall of fire in the entrance to the room."

"Is he ok?"

Booth fully awake now responded, "Relax, Rebecca, I'm fine." He started to rub Parkers back with his hand and spoke quietly to the boy. "Hey bub," Parker started to stir. "Mommy's here." Parker hopped off his dad, causing Booth to grimace slightly, and hugged his mom. Booth sat up slowly on the couch. After two naps he felt even sorer than before.

"Dr. Brennan, do you mind if I borrow your office for a couple of minutes to talk to Seeley privately?"

"Sure, I'll be right outside though because you still need an escort while in here." She shut the door as she left. As soon as she did Rebecca turned on Booth covering Parker's ears at the same time.

"What the hell were you thinking!"

"Rebecca…"

"Don't you 'Rebecca' me!"

"Just listen a minute… it was a fire, no one could have predicted it." Booth left out the fact they knew it was set intentionally.

"Not good enough, Seeley! He could have died! You could have died!"

"Rebecca, Parker is ok; I have some burns, but they'll heal. We are both ok! Can't you just be grateful for that!"

"No." After years of knowing him she knew he was hiding something. She then fit the pieces together. "The fire has something to do with this case you're working on, doesn't it!"

"…"

"Seeley…" she warned him.

Booth sighed knowing he lost. "Possibly."

Rebecca let out an aggravated huff. "That's just great Seeley; put your son in danger!"

"No one knew we were going to be there…"

"That just proves my point… I don't think I can let Parker stay with you anymore; you put him in too much danger, knowingly."

"Rebecca…"

"No… I've made up my mind." She uncovered Parker's ears. "Let's go home, Parker."

Rebecca was happy it appeared Parker hadn't heard their loud conversation, since he knew if he had he would be throwing a fit. Instead he just went over and hugged his dad.

"Bye, daddy."

"See ya, bub," Booth said kissing the top of his head. Booth rose off the couch stiffly to walk them to the door with Brennan. The three of them left the office and Brennan could tell from the look on Booths face that the conversation did not go well. Before she could say anything he shook his head. She knew he would tell her later. They walked to the exit of the lab. "You sure I can't get you to reconsider?" Booth asked Rebecca.

"I'm sure… I've made up my mind."

Booth sighed, "Fine, then you can be the one to tell him and break his heart again." He paused for a moment. "Just be careful, please."

"What could happen?… We'll be just fine without you putting him in danger… Bye."

"…Bye," Booth said quietly, sounding defeated. Rebecca and Parker left the lab. Booth turned to Brennan after they were out of sight. "Can I talk to you for a minute in your office, Bones?"

"Sure." The walk back to her office was silent. After they walked into the office she closed the door. She then pointed to the couch, noticing that Booth had started to pace the room, but still looking like he was about to collapse. "Sit."

"Bones…"

"Sit." He did as he was told this time. "Now, what happened with Rebecca?" she asked sitting next to him and putting her right hand on his left knee.

"She's decided that Parker isn't safe enough with me anymore." He sounded crushed.

"I'm sorry, Booth."

"Yeah… But now what I wanted to talk to you about… now just hear me out before you say anything ok."

"Ooooook." she said hesitantly.

"I think we need a fresh pair of eyes looking into this killer's perspective."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Your dad… here me out," he said when he saw her about to protest, "he reads people well and has experience with people who are really evil and such… I really think he could help."

Brennan thought for a few moments. "Fine, but you're talking to him and asking him because I really don't trust him with something like this."

"I'll call him now." Booth pulled out his phone.

"I'll be on the platform," she told him after he dialed and put the phone to his ear. He nodded. She left the room. Booth listened to the phone ringing.

"Hello," Max answered.

"Max, it's Booth."

"Booth… is my daughter ok?"

"Yes, don't worry, she's fine… I could actually use your help on the case we're working on… How soon can you get to the lab?"

"Give me about an hour and I'll be over to see how I can help."

"Great, thanks Max," Booth said closing his phone. He left the office and scanned himself up onto the platform. "Anything new squints?"

"Not yet Booth… We're waiting on Hodgins and Angela to finish processing the videos from the fire," Cam told him.

"Booth, you should be resting," Brennan lectured him.

"I know, but think about it, Bones… we have no leads one boy is still missing if the killer is still using the same MO. One more will go missing in less than two weeks and a week after that we'll be looking at a new body," he told her. "Besides after those couple naps I feel ok," he lied.

"You're a terrible liar, but fine," she told him knowing he was right. She turned to Wendell. "Can you bring that chair over for Booth?" She turned back to Booth. "You are at least going to be sitting though."

"Here, Dr. B," Wendell said wheeling the chair over. Booth sat. After he sat he informed them on the conversation with Max. At this point Hodgins and Angela swiped themselves onto the platform.

"Got anything?" Booth asked.

"Well that really depends on what you mean by anything," Angela told him.

"Unfortunately this killer is good. They are always in the shadows. However we did discover where the fire started," Hodgins stated.

"Ok, that's something at least. Where was it?" Booth asked.

"The empty room between Wendell and Sweets."

"Ok, that helps… so there were five possible targets with this attack… Wendell, Sweets, Pat, Mark, and myself," Booth said.

"How do you figure that?" Brennan asked.

"Well there was only two free rooms around the area of the house we were staying in so this killer chose that room for a reason… but maybe… maybe there wasn't a target… maybe this killer just want to inflict terror on us and possible harm anyone of us," Booth explained. He turned to Hodgins. "Did any info come back on the dirt that was found with the bodies?"

"How many times do I have to say it… Dirt means absolutely nothing to me!... But in this case that is exactly what I have. The only thing I can tell you is that the compositions are exactly the same so they were killed in the same spot, but it is similar enough to so many places that I can't tell you where. In this case I guess I can accept your term 'dirt'." Hodgins told him sulking slightly.

"So we've got nothing with the dirt?"

"Pretty much… sorry G-man."

"I really hate this killer," Booth said rubbing his forehead from the headache he was getting from everything that has happened in the past 24 hours or so. Brennan saw this so she stepped up to Booth's right side from behind him and put her left hand on his shoulder, just above the gash. Once he looked at her she spoke.

"Booth, I know you want to be up here, but go rest in my office… Your body won't take this strain much longer and you will pass out… I promise I'll send my dad in as soon as he gets here and will let you know anything as we find it out. Please Booth, we need you back at 100 percent and that will only happen if you rest." She was practically begging for her so Booth gave in knowing it would make her feel better.

"Fine, Bones," he said sighing, "just keep me in the loop, and let me know when Max gets here."

"I'll send him into the office… now go rest," she ordered him helping him to his feet. He walked to her office. The others stayed on the platform trying to figure out anything useful. It wasn't going well. A short while later Max walked into the lab. He looked up to the platform.

"Where's Booth?" Max asked noticing he wasn't on the platform.

"Good, you're finally here, he's in my office, resting," Brennan said turning around to face him.

"Ah, so he leaves me to do his job?"

"It's not like that at all," Brennan said trying to control her temper toward her father. "He was out here for as long as he could take. He's injured fairly badly. He had a bullet lodged in his shoulder and then got caught in a fire in which he got covered with burns, while saving me and Parker. So shut up and get your ass up there so he can talk to you and then I can force him to rest again."

"Yeah sure, Tempe," Max said fearing her slightly and walking to her office. He noticed the door was open so he walked in. Booth was asleep on the couch, looking like hell Max decided, regretting accusing him of slacking on the job. He didn't really think he was, but he wanted to be sure before helping. Booth started to stir sensing someone in the room. He saw it was Max and started to sit up.

"Hey Max… Thanks for the help with the case."

"No problem… you look like hell by the way…"

Booth chuckled. "Yeah, I've heard that a lot recently."

"So what do you need me for?"

"I was hoping you could look at the note from the killer and other facts and see what you think this monster wants."

"Why do you want my help with that?" he asked a little confused.

"Well, you've had experience with different types of nasty people so I figured these actions and such may have similar qualities to things you've seen. Plus I'm out of ideas."

"Ok. What have you got?"

"Condensed version is this killer has so far killed four boys, the first two were six years old and the next two were seven. This monster cuts, beats, and tortures them before killing them with a bullet between the eyes from a sniper rifle… seems to be getting more vicious with each murder too." Booth continued on to tell him about the note to his office, fire, and shooting.

"It sounds to me like he definitely wants revenge on someone."

"You said 'he'."

"Yeah… definitely a guy, if it was a girl they would either keep their MO exactly the same or change it up much more than is being done. He's getting more vicious because he's losing control."

"Makes sense. I was thinking it was a guy but wanted more opinions and without evidence to support…"

"You're turning into my daughter with the need for evidence." Max said jokingly.

"Only with this case… I don't know why but I feel closer to this case than others."

Max shrugged, not sure of what to say to that comment. "It also sounds to me like he was hurt when he was young by something that changed his life completely."

"Why do you say that?"

"He is only really targeting really young boys or people trying to get in his way and he's trying to cause them extreme pain."

"Ok… any ideas of what that thing in his past could be?"

"Not really, sorry, Booth. I have absolutely no idea… the guys I associated with weren't even this evil."

"Ok, thanks, Max."

"Now can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, I guess."

"When are you going to get together with my daughter?"

Booth was thankful he wasn't drinking anything at that moment. He was sure if he was the spray would be halfway across the room. "HUH!" Booth couldn't stop his eyes from slightly bulging.

"Don't 'huh' me Booth. I hear things. I've heard about Kenton and Pam. I know you're the one she went to when she found her mom and to help track me down and even more recently you saving her in the fire. I was there for the Gallagher bit. I also know that she just went ballistic on me when I said you were just sleeping on the job and pretty much threatened me if I didn't let you get back to resting quickly. I like you Booth, but you're a real idiot if you think she doesn't care about you."

"I know she cares… I just want to be sure that I'm not going to scare her away."

"You won't."

"You don't know that for sure… if it happens it happens." Booth started to get up from the couch. "Now let's go talk to the others."

"Whoa, no way Booth. My daughter is likely to murder me if you don't go back to resting, and you know as well as I do that she could if she really wants to," Max told Booth as he pushed him back onto the couch lightly trying not to hurt him. "Besides you really do look like crap."

"Bones will understand… we really need to tell them about what we discussed."

"Fine but when she starts threatening me I'm blaming you and you can take her abuse."

Booth laughed at his comment and got up from the couch. They walked to the platform and Booth scanned them up. Booth had just opened his mouth to speak when all of the security alarms started going off sending the lab into lockdown. They all started to wonder what was going on.

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**Ok... so that was chapter 4 let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!...**


	5. Danger? and A New Body

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

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_Last Chapter:_

_Max and Booth walked to the platform and Booth scanned them up. Booth had just opened his mouth to speak when all of the security alarms started going off sending the lab into lockdown. They all started to wonder what was going on._

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**Killing for Revenge**

**Chapter 5: Danger? And A New Body**

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Everyone was looking around as the alarms started to sound.

"What the hell is going on now?" Angela asked sounding a little worried.

"That's what I want to know," Cam said looking pissed that even with increased security it seemed they were still in danger.

They all heard running footsteps coming toward them. Booth instinctively drew his gun. The person came into view. It was one of the newest members of the security team, Jeff. He saw Booth's gun and his eyes widened when he saw it pointing at him. Booth saw this and quickly holstered the weapon again.

"What's going on, Jeff?" Cam asked.

"It was actually a false alarm, sorry, Dr. Saroyan. One of the staff members went to go to the new location he was just ordered to and forgot about the increased security. We are working on getting the lab out of complete lockdown now. Sorry." He ran from the room after delivering the message.

"Ugh… I hate this new system… no one knows how to work the damn thing," Cam was muttering to herself.

Hodgins laughed. "I think the new guy got the message to learn it and learn it fast before Booth points another gun in his face." Wendell laughed, nodding, knowing how intimidating Booth can be from playing hockey with the guy.

"What can I say, I can be an intimidating guy," Booth said shrugging, a smile on his face.

"That is true," Cam said smiling. "At least I know one person will understand how to work it by the end of the day… Now what were you saying before the interruption, Booth?"

Booth and Max proceeded to tell them their theories on the killer. They all nodded accepting the theories. Brennan just had a few questions and comments.

"There is no evidence to suggest that this murder was abused or male. Statistically speaking most serial killers are male, but it has not been proven what gender they are in this case. How did you come up with this?"

"It's a theory," Booth said getting a little testy because this case was going nowhere. He tried to avoid sounding testy, but it didn't work well.

"Booth, relax. We're doing the best we can with the information we have. I just asked a question," Brennan told him.

"You're right as usual," Booth said, sitting down. Brennan smiled knowing that this was as close to an apology as she was going to get from him. She knew he hated to admit when she was right.

"Well, as fun as this has been," Max said, "I'm getting to old for this crap. Call me if you need anything else, Booth. Let me know what happens." He turned to leave. "I'll talk to you soon, Tempe," he added, kissing her on the forehead and leaving since the lab was taken out of lockdown.

"So, what do we do now?" Angela asked.

"Not much we can do. We processed all the evidence, right?" Booth asked. Brennan nodded. "Ok… I still don't have enough info for a suspect list since there isn't much in common with the boys. We really are at a dead end and running out of time. Cullen's gonna be pissed."

"So what now?" Cam asked.

"I guess we all get some rest here, since it has the best security and I'm not letting you squints out of my sight when it's open season on us," Booth said. "We can start up again in the morning."

"Great, Wendell share the intern office with Sweets," Cam told him.

Wendell nodded, not minding.

Booth turned to the two agents. "If you want, both of you can get out of here, before you become much more involved and in danger. We won't be leaving for awhile and there is plenty of security here," he told them.

"Ok, Agent Booth. Call if you need anything from us again."

"Thanks guys." The agents left the lab.

"You're taking my couch, Booth," Brennan told him refusing to negotiate with him.

"Where are you going to sleep then?" Booth asked her.

"The floor… No arguing. You are the injured one," she told him as everyone went to their respective offices. Booth and Brennan then went to hers.

"But Bones…" Booth whined.

"No whining, Booth."

"It is your office."

"I don't care. You're injured."

"You are too technically, or did you forget about your ankle," he said, turning around and invading her personal space. She did not back down from his challenge and stepped closer to him.

"You are still hurt worse," she told him, poking him in the arm lightly. He winced slightly, but she caught it. "See my point." She pushed him over to the couch and forced him to lie down. "Besides, I'm going to work on the next chapter of my book for awhile."

"Can I read it?"

"When it comes out."

"But, Bones, you know the best insight into Andy would be through me, since you based him off of me." He flashed his charm smile at her. She rolled her eyes.

"How many times do I have to say it? An-"

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah: 'Andy is not based off of you he is a fictional character that' blah, blah, blah." He smiled at her, so she knew he was teasing her. "Night, Bones."

"Night," she said sitting in her chair to get to work on her book. Eventually, she fell asleep at her desk. 

Unfortunately for the team the next two weeks went by quickly. They looked over all the evidence from the four boys and noticed that there were dents in the bones made by a circular shaped object, which varied in the width throughout the object. They just had no idea what it could be.

After the night they spent in the lab they went to their respective homes to sleep for at least a few hours a day. They all still felt safer in the lab, so they chose to spend more time there.

Booth was asleep in his bed. It was two in the morning. He was grateful that at least most of his injuries had healed. He had a slight scar from the bullet and still had a few burns surrounding the almost completely healed gash from the ceiling that fell during the fire, but he was back to working at 100 percent. His phone started to ring. Booth groaned, reaching with his right arm toward his nightstand to grab for his phone. It took him a few moments to get it with his eyes closed. He picked it up and held it to his ear.

"Booth," he said trying to sound coherent. He listened to the other end for a minute. He started to get up and get dressed. "We'll be right there," he said when the voice finished speaking. He closed his phone, then re-opened it calling Brennan.

"Brennan," she answered the phone on the fourth ring sleepily.

"Hey, Bones, sorry to wake you, but we got another body. They think it's our killer. I'll be by to pick you up in about fifteen minutes," he told her.

"Ok, see you then." She sounded a little more alert.

Booth was there in fifteen minutes, just like he promised, and Brennan passed him one of the two coffee cups she was holding, knowing that he was going to need it as much as her. She got in the SUV and he started to head to the crime scene.

"Thanks, Bones," he said trying to stifle his yawn and taking a large gulp of the coffee.

"No problem… so you said they think it's the same killer we've been working on trying to get."

"They seem to think so, small body on the side of a highway." Booth paused for a minute. "Bones, if this is the same killer than we have another boy missing for a week already."

"I know." The rest of the drive remained silent.

They eventually got to the location where the body was and Brennan went over to it as the rest of the people collected samples and other possibly important evidence.

"Male age between five and nine…" Brennan said continuing to study the remains. "I am pretty sure same killer. This victim has the same types of injuries as the others and is missing his teeth… get everything back to the lab."

"You heard her… send everything to the lab," Booth ordered them. "Let's go grab some breakfast, Bones. We can meet the evidence at the lab when we finish," he told her as they climbed into the SUV.

They had talked about random things over breakfast, trying to keep the mood light. After they finished they went over to the lab. They walked in and saw the rest of the team unpacking the evidence that had just arrived. Booth saw Angela take the head as Brennan went up to the platform.

"I'm gonna head over to the Hoover to have one of the guys send over the updated missing persons list," Booth told her.

"Ok, I'll see you later." Booth left the lab. Hodgins took the dirt and other particulates to his office as Angela took the skull to her office to give him a face. Wendell had started to lay the body on the table. Cam didn't have much to do since there was no flesh on the body. Wendell and Brennan started on their examination on the body.

The members of the team worked diligently for a while. Brennan and Wendell discovered the same types of injuries on this body as the other boys. Before Angela took the skull it was also determined that the boy died from a bullet between the eyes. It was made from the same sniper rifle. The agent Booth asked to send over the missing persons report had just sent it over to Angela's server as she was imputing the dimensions and such of the skull. Booth had not seen this list yet.

After she imputed the data she ran it through the list. She figured it would take about ten minutes to come up with a match, so she went to go see Hodgins at his station.

"Hey Jack. What's up?" she asked when she saw his puzzled expression.

"I just found this in the dirt," he said holding up a piece of circular rubber. "I can't explain it though… the dirt is exactly the same as the others except for this rubber… I don't know what this means." He was shaking his head.

"My computer probably finished running the skull info through it now. Why don't we go see what I've got and bring the rubber to Brennan too, see what she thinks?"

"Yeah ok," Hodgins said putting the rubber on a tray and picking up the tray. He followed Angela to her office. As they walked into her office the computer beeped. She walked over to it. "Ha… perfect timing," Hodgins said smiling. "What?" he then asked concerned when he saw her go pale and eyes practically bulging out of her head.

"It came up with two possibilities… and it's not good," Angela told him motioning for him to come and look at the screen.

"Oh shit!"

"Yeah… we have to get this information to Bren now," Angela said running from the office. She saw Brennan still on the platform with Wendell. "Sweetie, I need you in your office NOW!" she shouted at her heading to the office and pulling the two files up on Brennan's computer.

"What is going on, Angela?" She asked, walking calmly into the office.

"We have two possibilities for who the boy is. I can't say which one it is because of the missing teeth and such. The skull size and shape are practically identical; the only difference between the boys are the hair and eye color."

"And since the bones were boiled we can't get either of that information, so the only way we can know for certain who this boy is to find the other," Brennan said.

"Yeah, but Sweetie, it gets worse," Angela said pointing to the two files she opened on the screen. Brennan's eyes widened at the similarities considering they weren't even related.

"Have you called Booth yet?" Brennan asked as Hodgins walked in.

"No… I figured you should be the one to tell him, and that you would want to, but before you do Jack has something you need to look at because he is stumped and doesn't know what to make of it," Angela told her.

"Hodgins?"

"I found this in the dirt." He showed her the small circular piece of rubber. "Other than that the dirt matches completely… I don't know what it means. I'm completely stumped and wish I wasn't."

Brennan looked at the piece, "I have no idea either… maybe Booth can come up with something. Why don't you head back to your work station and work with everything else you have on the case, see if we can figure out the significance of the rubber."

"Ok, Dr. B." Hodgins left the room. Brennan sat down heavily in her chair.

"What's wrong, Sweetie?"

Brennan sighed, "How do I tell him we don't know which boy it is, which will make it harder?"

"I don't know, you know him best."

"That might make it harder actually."

"Why?"

"I have an idea as to how he's going to react… He's going to think it's his fault, too."

"Sweetie, just call him, tell him to get over here, and do what comes naturally… I'll be with Hodgins at his work station if you need either of us." Angela hugged Brennan and left the room.

Brennan picked up the phone and hit the speed dial for Booth's office thinking, 'please don't answer'

"Booth," he answered the phone.

"Hey, Booth, it's me," Brennan said thinking 'why?'

"Hey, Bones, what's up? You have any info for me?"

"Yeah… but it's actually kind of important. Can you come to my office?" Booth had picked up a weird tone in her voice.

"Um… sure. I'll be over soon. I just need to close up the office and I'll be right there." He paused for a moment. "You ok though, Bones?" he asked.

"Fine… why?"

"You just had a weird tone to your voice… but anyway, I'm leaving now so I'll see you soon."

"Ok. Bye, Booth."

"Bye, Bones." They both hung up. 

* * *

**_Brennan's Office_**

"Hey, Bones," Booth said walking into the office with a smile. It quickly went away when he saw the look on her face. He knew there was something wrong. "What's wrong Bones?" he asked softly.

"Sit down," she told him refusing to meet his eyes. He now knew something was seriously wrong.

"What is it?" he asked softly, sitting on the couch. She got up from her desk and sat next to him. She was holding two folders with the printed copies of the files in each.

"We have a problem with the body." She really didn't want to continue, but she knew she had to. She paused a moment, then continued when she saw she still had his attention. "With the dimensions of the skull the body can be one of two possible matches, and you're not going to like it." She handed him the two folders and then put her hand on his knee. Booth opened the first folder.

"Ian Fitzgerald, age seven," Booth said looking at the picture. He had fairly long curly black hair and greenish-gray eyes. Booth closed the folder after reading the report and started opening the other. Brennan stopped him by putting her other hand on top of his. He looked at her.

"Before you open it, you need to prepare yourself for this. It's about to get much worse," Brennan told him removing her hand from his and giving him a sympathetic look. Booth was confused by the look, but opened the folder without asking about it. His throat went dry when he saw it.

"Are… are you sure?" he stammered, clearing his throat a little when it felt like it was closing. He looked at her. She could clearly see the pain in his eyes and wished she could help him more.

"Yes," she said simply, but her voice cracked slightly. She placed her hand on his again, trying to offer some amount of comfort.

"Parker…" he whispered, his head hanging slightly.

"I know," she said not knowing what else to say.

"Rebecca didn't even tell me…" Booth trailed off, shaking his head, trying to clear his mind. Brennan could tell what he was thinking.

"Booth, look at me," she spoke softly. He didn't, so she got up to squat in front of him, to make eye contact with him. She left her hands on his hand and knee though. "It is not your fault. Rebecca chose to take him out of the safety of the lab. She chose not to tell you. It is not your fault," she told him slowly and forcefully, trying to get her point into his thick skull. She then recalled a conversation with him in the SUV after they found the blood in her apartment.

_"'I really wish you would stop letting me hug you when I get scared,' she told him. 'Hey, I get scared and I'll hug you,' he responded."_

She chose not to let him break that semi-promise and got up, sitting next to him and pulling him into her arms. He rested his head on her shoulder for a minute, hugging her. They stayed that way for a few moments; she could feel him shaking lightly but didn't say anything. She felt him take a deep breath and pull back slightly. She let him go, but put her hand back on his knee. Booth cleared his throat again; she knew he was trying to keep his emotions in check.

"Does Angela still have the letter I got at my office?" He sounded drained.

"Yes… Why?"

"Have her go through the capital letters. I think at this point having her name in the last column was just to throw us off. There has to be a hidden word or words in that mess. No other reason for Parker to be missing, other than this case."

"Ok, but why don't we both go, Hodgins found something in the dirt and we don't know what to make of it. I was thinking you might be able to think of something, since you think differently from scientists, and Angela is with him at his work station so…"

"Yeah, ok Bones." Booth got up from the couch. He paused for a moment, then added, "and thanks…but who else knows?"

Brennan knew what he was referring to. "Hodgins was with Angela when her computer when off, just the four of us."

"Let's keep it that way because otherwise I'll be taken off the case do to conflict of interest… never thought Rebecca acting like a bitch would be a good thing, but her not telling me allows me to play dumb."

"I don't know what that means."

"It means I have no idea that Parker is missing."

"But that's lying."

"Or ignoring the second file. Please Bones, I need to work this one and if the FBI find out that we think this asshole either has or has mur- you know my son they won't let me. You didn't tell me he was in the missing persons files… please." He sounded desperate and couldn't say murdered. She didn't really blame him; she didn't want to believe it either.

"Ok… I'll tell Angela and Hodgins as well that you don't know."

"Thank you." He left the room, Brennan following closely. They headed to Hodgins workstation where they saw him looking into a microscope, talking with Angela. Angela saw them coming and tapped Hodgins on the shoulder. He looked up and spun around in his chair, moving it so he could grab the tray with the rubber piece. When Booth and Brennan got to them, Booth explained to Angela his idea with the letter and asked both of them not to say anything about Parker, explaining why. They both agreed and Angela promised to start on the letter right away. She went to her office.

"So, I hear you have something you need to show me, to see if I have any ideas," Booth said turning to Hodgins.

"Yeah, it's this rubber," Hodgins said putting on a glove and picking it up. "It's pretty small and circular shaped, but it looks like it was torn off of something, only on one side. It also isn't a perfect circle, though… I'm completely stumped."

Booth looked at it for a minute, knowing he has seen something with a shape like it somewhere before. "I know I've seen something with that type of thing before… I should know what it is, but I have no idea either."

"Ok… I'll let you know if any of us come up with anything," Hodgins told Booth.

"Yeah, ok," Booth said, then turned to Brennan. "I'm gonna head back to the Hoover and see if I can get any more info," he said as he turned to leave. He heard their conversation as he was leaving.

"Is he okay?" Hodgins asked.

"Right now he's worried, but he's also probably furious with Rebecca because she didn't even tell him Parker was missing. He also still doesn't know that Parker is missing." They understood why she was saying this.

"Ouch." Their voices were fading as he headed to the door. Cam saw him on the way out.

"What are you doing here? Isn't it a little early to be dragging Dr. Brennan out of the lab?"

"I'm here because Bones called me. Now I'm heading back to the Hoover to continue working on this case." After knowing him for so long, she took one look at him and knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Cam asked softly.

"Don't."

"Seeley…"

"Don't, Cam."

"Please… don't shut me out." She knew if anything was going to get through to him it would be this. Booth sighed knowing he was wasting time by arguing with her, so he spoke.

"Don't tell anyone else, this needs to be kept quiet. There are two boys reported missing that match the body we have," he paused, then spoke even more quietly, "one of them is Parker… I didn't even know he was missing…" Booth left while saying this. Cam was too shocked to even speak or move. She just watched him go. 

* * *

**_Booth's Office_**

It was getting late, or early depending on how you wanted to look at it, seeing as it was nearing one in the morning. Booth had now been up for 23 hours strait and it was showing. He refused to stop even though he wasn't finding any information they didn't know. He felt someone walk into his office and instantly knew who it was.

"What're you doing here, Bones?"

"Looking for you… I just looked at my watch while I was working and saw how late it was and you hadn't dragged me out of the lab yet so…" she told him.

"You were worried… Thanks, Bones. I've been trying to find new info," he said yawning.

"Any luck?"

"No," he sighed taking a sip of the lukewarm coffee that had been on his desk for awhile. He cringed at the taste. "I wish I did though."

"Why don't you go home and sleep for awhile? You've been up for over 23 hours!"

"I can't, Bones… I need to find him." Booth leaned back in his chair closing his eyes for a minute, and rubbing them.

"Go home and rest. Cam's decided the lab isn't shutting down until we find him. Someone is always there and working. You need to rest so when you find him and his kidnapper you have the strength to take him down," she said pulling him out of his chair.

"Yeah… ok… you're right. Call me the second you have anything new, no matter the time?" He was getting ready to leave, slowly.

"I promise." Booth left the office. Brennan watched him go, her heart metaphorically breaking for him. She then left his office also to go back to the lab.

****

* * *

**_The Lab_**

Brennan walked into the lab and into Angela's office and sat on her couch. Angela was still working on the note but heard her friend come in.

"Hey, did you find Booth?" Angela asked continuing to work.

Brennan's eyes bulged. "How did you know I was looking for him?"

"Bren, Sweetie, you are in love with him and are worried about him because you know he is hurting because his son is missing. I know you won't leave this lab unless he drags you out or he needs you for a case. I also know you care about Parker too."

"Ange…"

"Don't deny it, Bren. You suck at lying."

"I'll admit I am worried about him and Parker… I should get back to the bones. I promised to call Booth the moment we have any new information. I want to see if I can figure out what they were beaten with."

"Rest for an hour or so first, you need it to function properly. You can take my couch."

"You're right." She did as she was asked, but the second she woke she went to the platform.

Brennan was on the platform for awhile, comparing the injuries of all the boys, with Wendell's help because he wanted to help Booth as much as possible. She heard a door open and figured it was one of the members of the team going to talk to another. Then she heard Angela shout from her office.

"Bren, get in here, I might have something!"

"Angela's still working on the note?" The sound of Booth's voice made Brennan jump and turn around quickly. He sounded even more tired and drained than before, she noted. She glanced at her watch quickly, 5 AM.

It took a moment for her to regain her composure. When she did she spoke, pulling off her gloves and starting to head to Angela's office, Booth following. "Yes… I thought I told you to go home and rest."

"I tried to, but couldn't relax and ended up pacing and stressing out more so…" he trailed off as they reached Angela's office. They walked in. "What do you have, Angela?" Booth asked her.

"Wow, you got here quick," she told him trying to lighten the mood somewhat.

"Just talk."

"Alright… I typed the capital letters into the program to have it unscramble the letters. Initially a lot of different words came up, but just now it came up with four words that use all of the letters. I just don't know what it means for this case."

"What are they?" Brennan asked.

"Pain, revenge, general, and strike."

"Ok," Booth said starting to pace. "Well pain and revenge are fairly obvious, but general and strike… general and strike… general and strike…" Booth continued to pace trying to figure something out with either of the words. Brennan and Angela just watched him. This went on for awhile. Suddenly, Booth snapped his fingers.

"You thought of something?" Brennan asked him.

"Possibly… with strike." He looked at Brennan. "Is Hodgins still here?" Angela is the one who answered him, though.

"Yeah. We all refused to leave." Booth went over to the doorway.

"Hodgins get in here!" He shouted. Hodgins, Wendell, and Cam came running in.

"What's up?" Hodgins asked.

"Booth thinks he might have something with one of the hidden words," Angela told them.

"Wait, what words?" Cam asked.

"I found four hidden words in the capital letters. Pain and revenge are sort of self-explanatory, but we also have the words general and strike."

"I think I figured out strike," Booth said looking at Hodgins and Brennan. "Hodgins, could that rubber piece be from a baseball cleat and could the objects that the boys were beaten with be baseball bats?"

"Dude, the dirt makes sense for a baseball field, but is it possible for a cleat to break like that?"

"If the cleat is old enough and crappy enough… It happened to a friend of mine once." Booth smiled at the memory. He then turned to Bones waiting for her information.

"Angela, can you pull up the scans on the computer?" Brennan asked her. She did. Brennan looked at them, then called Wendell over. "What do you think?" He studied the scans also.

"Looks likely."

"That's what I was thinking." She turned to Booth. "It is possible for it to have been a baseball bat."

Booth smiled. "I think I know where they are."

"Where?" Brennan asked, all of them following him since he started walking to his SUV. He was going to call for possible backup on the way there.

"Parker used to play on a baseball field… It's now abandoned, something about the field not having good enough traction."

"Wouldn't someone still see them on the field?" Brennan asked.

"Not if they never tore down the equipment shack, which I know they didn't. I'm sure some of the coaches accidently left some of their equipment in the shed." They had just reached the SUV and Brennan and Booth climbed in.

"Be careful," Angela told them, already worried for her friends and Parker.

"Don't worry Ange," Brennan told her as Booth started to drive flipping the siren on.

After pulling out of the Jeffersonian he took out his phone and let the FBI know where he was going. He also told them he was not waiting and that he was going in as soon as he got there. He hung up before they could respond to that. Brennan looked over at him after he got off the phone. She could tell he was worried.

"He should be okay, I think," Brennan told him, not lying to him because if the killer went by their normal M.O. they still had a little under two weeks to find him alive.

"I hope so, Bones. I really do." Brennan then reached into her pocketbook and pulled out her very large gun. Booth chuckled when he saw it. "Ok, Bones, you really need to get a gun you can actually handle."

"But bigger is better."

"Not if you can't control it, or do I need to remind you of the paramedic clown."

"Alright, I forgot about him, but you killed him with that gun."

"Yeah, after you shot me with it." They were now about two blocks away from the field. He stopped the car and turned to face Brennan. "We need to walk the rest of the way," he said getting out of the car. She followed.

As they were walking Booth took out his gun. He was also whispering to Brennan about what they were going to do. "Listen to me, Bones, you are to wait outside the door. Before you start arguing let me explain. The shack has four rooms: the main room, and three additional rooms one on each wall. There is only one exit. I need you next to that door, but hidden. You see him run out that door; you shoot him in the leg. The door opens outward so you can stand behind the door. Ok."

"Booth, you can't go in alone, and how do you know the layout?"

"I have to. I need you outside because if I lose the guy you can overtake him. He won't be expecting you… and I coached Parker's T-ball team here. We didn't use this field long but I still remember it."

"Ok, just be careful," she told him, knowing that when it came to the safety of his son, she would lose the argument. They were now almost directly in front of the door to the shack. They had to walk about halfway across the front of the building to get to the door. They stayed close to the wall. As Booth went to open the door they heard a sound that almost made his heart stop.

They heard a gunshot.

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 5 let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!...**


	6. The Killer Unmasked

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_As Booth went to open the door they heard a sound that almost made his heart stop._

_They heard a gunshot._

* * *

**Killing for Revenge**

**Chapter 6: The Killer Unmasked**

* * *

Booth froze for a moment after hearing the gunshot. He glanced at Brennan. She caught his eye. Swallowing, he motioned that he was going in. She nodded and hid. He opened the door and left it open so that Brennan was able to hid better behind it. He slowly walked in. The shack was as he remembered. The main room was empty but he remembered that the T-ball equipment was on the left, the smaller bats and equipment for younger boys in front of him and the larger ones for older teenagers on the right. He figured the killer was using the larger bats. He moved to the right door, but he failed to notice the shadow in the left corner that had been behind him. He moved carefully and opened the door slowly. What he saw shocked him.

There were many baseball bats still in the room and most were covered in blood. There were now various knives hanging on the wall, also covered in blood. Booth noticed that there was an empty spot between two knives and guessed one was missing. The sniper rifle and crappy gun were lying on a table. What made Booth freeze though was the shape of a little boy in the corner. Booth was happy to see the boy shaking in fear though because that meant he was alive. He moved slowly to the boy trying not to scare him anymore. As he got closer he noticed it was Parker. Parker's face was buried in his knees, with his legs pulled up to his chest. He was lying on his side. He looked relatively unharmed. There were a few minor slices from the knife on his arm, but nothing major.

"Parker, hey bub, I'm here," Booth whispered when he got near his scared and crying son. Parker looked up, tears streaming down his face.

"Daddy…" he whispered, sounding terrified still. Booth's heart broke at the sound.

"I'm right here, bub." Booth then noticed Parker's eyes go wide. Booth had been crouched in front of his son at this point. Before he had time to react, he felt the missing knife from the wall sliding quickly down his back, from right shoulder to left hip. He spun around quickly, shielding Parker with his body. The killer was too close for Booth to fully raise his gun. Booth realized he was going to have to stall by asking him questions and such. Booth took note that the killer was also holding a baseball bat in his other hand. Booth started talking trying to keep the attention off his son.

"Who are you and what did you want with all those boys?" Booth asked the man. He thought he looked familiar, but could not place the look.

"Come now… you can't possibly tell me you don't remember me. You are the one who destroyed my family after all. As for the boys, I heard you had a seven year old son. I figured I could destroy your family the way you destroyed mine. The other boys were just to get your attention," the man informed Booth with a heavy accent. Booth stared at him trying to place the face and accent. "You still haven't remembered who I am yet… I'm very disappointed. Well maybe if you don't remember me you remember my birthday party. I thought I was being fairly obvious but…"

Just like that everything clicked for Booth. The clue of general, the feet fractures, the torture, the sniper rifle. Booth's eyes widened as he made the connections. Everything had something to do with his time as an army ranger. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he realized who the man was. "Raddick's son…"

"About time you made the connection. I was starting to wonder if you were just stupid or if I needed to dumb things down even more."

"So, what do you want?" Booth asked moving closer to Parker to protect him better.

"You to suffer, the way you made me suffer by destroying my family."

"You don't get it. I'm here. You can't hurt my son anymore. You lose, just give up now."

"You'd think so wouldn't you, but I'm just getting started."

Before Booth could react he swung the bat hard at his head. It connected with Booth's left temple. Booth collapsed on the floor fighting losing consciousness. The killer ran from the room as Booth lay on his side.

"Daddy?" Parker asked, his voice shaking and quiet.

"Hey bub, don't worry, ok, I'm here," Booth told Parker, sitting up, shaking his head, trying to clear it from the blow with the baseball bat. Parker crawled in front of Booth as he made his way to a sitting position. He crawled onto his dad's lap and threw his arms around his neck, burying his face beneath his chin. "It's alright, bub. I've got you. Come on, Bones is outside and after the guy ran out she probably got even more worried about us." Booth stood up carefully, putting his gun in its holster and holding Parker. He swayed slightly and used the corner of the table to keep them both upright. He was also seeing double courtesy of the bat. He walked slowly out of the room, using the wall as support and reference so he wouldn't walk into a wall or door frame. They eventually made it outside, but Booth didn't see anyone.

"Bones!" he shouted wincing as it caused his head to pound more. She came out from behind the door.

"Are you both ok!" she asked throwing her arms around them both. She then felt the stickiness on Booth's shirt and turned him around. "Booth, what happened?" she asked, inspecting his back.

"Well, he snuck up on me while I was trying to calm Parker. He got me with the knife before I could react… Where is he anyway? He ran after he smacked me in the head with a baseball bat. I was seeing double for awhile, but Gallagher was right though, said I have a head built like an anvil and that I hurt his hand. That's what he gets for trying to beat me a broken nose and throbbing hand." Booth said turning to face her, flashing her a smile with a slight chuckle, trying to lighten the mood a little. She noticed the decent sized bruise forming on his temple.

"While that may be you should get ice on that bruise before it gets darker and did you say he ran?"

"Yeah… where is he?"

"He never came out. You and Parker are the only ones who came through that door." Booth unwrapped Parker's arms from his neck.

"Stay here with Bones for a minute, ok," he said kissing Parker on the top of his head as he put him gently on the floor. "I'll be back in a minute." Booth took out his gun and went back in. Parker went into Brennan's arms. She was shocked, but wrapped her arms around him. They stayed like that for a while.

"Bones?" he asked.

"Yes?" she responded, softly.

"Daddy's gonna be ok, right?" His eyes showed the fear he felt.

"He's going to be fine." Just then backup arrived. There were only two of them. They at least had a first aid kit from the ambulance parked a few blocks away, just in case. She recognized the agents as Mark and Pat. They approached her.

"What's going on and where is Agent Booth?" Pat asked.

"Booth went back in after getting his son out. He believes the killer is still in there. Parker will need his arms bandaged. Booth has a gash down his back as well. If you have an icepack in there, he is going to need that too." Just then Booth came out, looking furious. "What is it?" she asked turning to him.

"Bastard made renovations to the shack. He added a second door in the center storage room, which is why you never saw him. He escaped." Parker went to his dad again and wrapped his arms around him. Booth noticed Mark and Pat with the first aid kit. He nodded at them, and motioned for them to give him the kit. "Hey, bub," Booth said to his son, softly, "let's clean up those arms of yours." Booth carefully sat on the ground taking the kit with him. He had Parker sit in front of him. He quickly cleaned and bandaged his arms. Parker crawled into his dad's lap, when he was done, and put his arms around his neck and his head on Booth's shoulder. Brennan then moved to take care of Booth's back. "Don't worry about that right now, Bones. It pretty much stopped bleeding anyway. Let me take care of Parker for now."

"Fine, but I'm looking at your back when we get to the lab and getting you an icepack."

"Fine, but I'm not going to the hospital no matter how bad you think it is."

"We need a report, Agent Booth," Mark told him.

"Sorry, but you actually don't have the clearance for this one. I'm gonna need to talk to Cullen first."

"What do you mean, Booth? We're still working a serial killer case." Brennan was confused.

"It isn't that simple anymore," Booth told her, then faced the two agents. "I'll fill you both in after I find out from Cullen how much I can tell you." Booth looked at his watch. It was around noon. He knew Cullen would be going for lunch soon. "I'll talk to him when he returns from lunch."

"Let's pack everything here and get it back to the lab. We'll be able to find something. Have Cullen meet you at the lab," Brennan told him.

"Ok… but why the lab?" Booth asked her, motioning to the two agents to call in for crime scene techs. They moved away to make the call.

"All the evidence will be there and we will both need to be there, too."

"Ok." Booth took out his phone and called Cullen's office. His secretary picked up so he asked her to get Cullen down to the lab, when he got back from lunch. He told her it was very important that they meet there instead of the Hoover. She said she'd pass on the message.

"The techs will be here soon, sir," Mark told Booth. Booth nodded.

"Why did you tell him it was important to meet at the lab?" Brennan asked.

"As I said, this is much bigger than you think… I'll fill you in on the way. I wasn't going to talk to him at the FBI with this newest information."

"Ok… but I'm driving back to the lab. Give me the keys." She put her hand out in front of him.

"No, My car, I drive, sorry."

"Booth, you were hit in the head with a bat and have a large gash down your back. You said you are seeing double. I'M DRIVING!" she said forcefully.

"Technically, I WAS seeing double and it was only when I opened more than one eye and…" he trailed off at the glare he was receiving from her. Grumbling, he took his keys out of his pocket and gave them to her.

"Thank you," she said smiling. He grumbled some more, something about it not being fair, but he knew she was right. He sent a glare in the direction of the two agents who were trying to hold back their laughter. They got the message to shut up quickly. Brennan sat on the ground next to Booth. She put her head on the shoulder not being occupied by Parker. That happened to be his left shoulder.

"Tired?" he asked her, smiling slightly.

"We've been up for about 34 hours, granted Angela made me sleep for a little while after I got back from looking for you."

"Remind me to thank her later."

"Why?"

"Because you do need to rest and sleep every once in a while," he said smiling at her.

"You didn't."

"No, but I attempted to… it just led to me pacing my apartment for a while before I came to the lab."

"I figured. You looked even more worn out when you got to the lab." The techs then showed up. Booth quickly gave them the orders to pack everything and send it back to the lab.

"Should we head back to the lab now?" he asked as the techs started working.

"Yes, I want to look at your injuries before everything arrives."

"Bones, I'm fine."

"I don't want to hear it, Booth, you promised." Booth sighed. He then looked down at Parker, who he just realized had been silent for a while. He smiled, seeing Parker sound asleep with a little drool hanging from his mouth and chin.

"Looks like he was exhausted."

"Yes, he appears completely calm as well, which is good."

"Yeah, for now anyway, we'll see how long it lasts." Booth sighed. "I'm gonna need to call Rebecca when we get to the lab."

"Wait till you talk to Cullen because you just said things got more complicated, so now Parker is unfortunately involved now too." They both stood, Booth carrying Parker, and started walking to the SUV.

"You're right, that makes the most sense." They got to the SUV and Brennan opened the back door for Booth. He carefully put Parker in, so that he wouldn't wake him, and buckled him in. He closed the door. Brennan was already in the driver's seat, smirking at him as he got into the 'grandma's side', as he called it. "Don't get used to this," he told her, crossing his arms as she pulled out.

"Ok," she pouted, turning to face him briefly, causing him to smile lightly. "Now, how did this case get more complicated?"

"Now that I think about it, actually, it was obvious from the beginning… I can't believe I missed it."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about the injuries… fractured feet, beaten and tortured, bullet between the eyes…" He continued at her blank expression. "Used a sniper rifle…" Still blank. "The ages of the boys… come to think about it, the boys also steadily looked more and more like Parker." Still blank. "Think, Bones… he was targeting me. The last word, general, makes sense to me now, too."

"Just tell me how this case is more complicated."

"I know who the killer is now."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"No, not this time, it makes it worse and harder because of who it is."

"How so?"

"Remember that friendly fire case, slash cover-up we worked on in our first year of being partners?"

"Charlie Kent and Devon Marshall?"

"Yeah."

"I remember it. What about it are you referring to?"

"Well, it's not exactly the case I'm referring to. It's more of the conversation we had in the cemetery after it…" Booth was trying hard not to say it because then it would make it even more real.

"I don't understand."

"The killer said to me 'I'm going to destroy your family like you destroyed mine.'" Bones still looked lost. Booth sighed. "Bones, the killer is General Raddick's son, that little boy at his birthday party… I said he'd been changed forever… I never thought it would be this bad though…" Booth sighed again leaning his head on the window, closing his eyes. He was really feeling the effects of the stress of the past 34 plus hours.

"How does that make things more complicated?"

"Somehow he must have found out I was the one to put the bullet between his father's eyes. It was a confidential sniper mission." She looked a little confused. "This means there is either a leak in the FBI or Army, who had access to see my sniper records."

"Oh."

"Yeah, that's why this will be harder. I won't be able to use my normal contacts because I have no ideas of who the leak could be. Cullen is who we can trust, for now, I believe and with the Army, I don't have too many contacts anymore anyway. Question is how he convinced them to leak the info anyway, and who would want to do harm to me and Parker. I mean me I can see, I've killed and arrested a lot of people, but Parker… He's just a kid."

"We'll find out who the leak is, and we'll find this guy again, Booth. The leak also might not have known he was going to hurt Parker." Brennan placed her hand on his knee briefly, to offer some comfort, before moving it back to the wheel.

"I know." It was quiet in the car for awhile. Brennan then broke the silence.

"I think you should talk to Hodgins, too." She waited for a minute for him to respond, when he didn't she asked "Booth?" Glancing at him she saw he was sound asleep and smiled. She was relieved he was finally able to rest, somewhat.

Sometime later, they arrived at the lab. They had hit traffic though, so it was nearing 1:30pm. Brennan knew that most days Cullen took a one hour lunch break, at noon, but would occasionally take a two hour break. Those were days he went home to eat with his wife. They had taken to doing that every once in a while after they lost their daughter, Amy, to cancer. She hoped it was one of those days because otherwise Booth was going to be in trouble with Cullen. Cullen hated being surrounded by the squints for long periods of time; he couldn't understand a word they said.

Brennan looked over to Booth and Parker. They were both still asleep. She put her hand on Booth's shoulder and shook him, gently. "Booth, we're here," she told him when his eyes started to open. He yawned.

"Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep on you," he smiled sheepishly.

"It's fine, you need the rest. We may have a problem though, it's 1:30."

"No problem at all actually, Cullen's not getting here until about 2:30. He was taking a late lunch with his wife."

"That's good, otherwise he probably would have killed you for making him put up with the squints for so long." She smiled.

He laughed. "True… let's go in. I'll carry Parker again."

They got out of the SUV and went in. The rest of the team was standing on the platform. Angela was the first to notice them. She ran over to them. The others looked to see where she was going. They followed when they saw that Booth and Brennan were back. Angela hugged Booth, careful not to wake Parker. She felt the stickiness on his back, then she noticed the large bruise on his temple.

"What happened? Are you both ok?" she asked, moving to hug Brennan.

"Relax, all three of us are ok," Booth said turning to look at the others. "This case got more complicated though."

"How so?" Cam asked.

Brennan interrupted the conversation. "He'll explain later, right now he needs to call Rebecca to let her know Parker is ok and he has to check with Cullen first to see how much he can tell you. I also need to clean up his back." She looked at Angela. "Ange, can you also go grab an icepack and bring it to my office."

"We have a conspiracy!" Hodgins shouted looking thrilled, which quickly disappeared with the scowl Booth and Brennan were giving him.

"Better listen to the boss," Booth said, laughing lightly. Cam had basically given up on making her word law. She knew she still had final say on experiments, and that was good enough for her at this point.

"Fill us in ASAP," Cam told him, walking to her office. Angela left to get the icepack and Hodgins and Wendell went back to racing bugs. Brennan and Booth went to her office. Booth laid Parker on the couch and brushed the hair out of his eyes. He covered him with the blanket that was on the back of the couch. Parker was small enough that he barely took up half the couch.

"Sit and take off your shirt," she told him, pointing to the end of the couch Parker wasn't on and picking up the first aid kit she kept in her office.

"Pushy," he told her smiling. She rolled her eyes. He did as she asked, which wasn't easy, his shirt was somewhat stuck to the dried blood and movement caused some parts of the injury to reopen. After he got the shirt off he sat on the edge of the couch so she could see his back.

"Booth…" she said quietly. He knew what she was referring to.

"You know about my past, and you saw the X-rays after your fridge tried to kill me." He smiled slightly, turning his head to her. His then turned more serious. "You didn't think that I wouldn't have scars, did you?"

"Truthfully, no. I was hoping, for your sake that you didn't have scars. Some of them look pretty bad," she said as she started cleaning the new injury. "I'm just going to use a wrap bandage. It will hold better for you." She started to wrap from just below his shoulder to his hip. As she finished, Angela came in with the icepack.

"Here you go. Can you tell me what happened now?" She handed Booth the icepack and he put it to his head.

"Short version is I was trying to comfort Parker and didn't hear the guy come up behind me. Next thing I knew a knife was going down my back, shortly followed by a bat connecting with my head." He then looked to Brennan. "Thanks, Bones."

"No problem, just make sure you can still move, and that I didn't wrap too tightly." Booth did as she suggested.

"Seems good to me, thanks. Now, if you don't mind, I should go call Rebecca."

"Right… I'll go to the platform then."

"Bones, I'm not kicking you out of your office. I really don't care if you hear what I have to say to her." He started dialing her number on his cell.

"Ok." She moved to her desk and turned her computer on. Angela moved next to her to look at the screen. Booth called Rebecca's work number. He listened to it ring for a few minutes. She finally answered.

"Hello," she answered calmly.

"Rebecca, it's Booth. Get your ass to the lab now," he told her fiercely. He was going to talk to her calmly, but hearing her calm voice made him pissed off. She didn't know Parker was now safe. She should still be sounding distracted and worried.

"Seeley, you cannot order me around," she said getting angry.

"Let me rephrase it, then. Get your ass over here now so I can fix your screw up."

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I know Parker is missing and there is a killer on the loose, targeting boys his age." Rebecca was silent for a few moments.

"I'll be right there," she said quietly.

"Good." Booth was fairly impressed with himself, he was able to scare the crap out of his ex, while keeping his voice low enough that he wasn't yelling or waking Parker. He hung up the phone and turned to Angela and Brennan.

"She should be here soon," he told them. Rebecca had just changed offices recently so she was only about ten minutes away. "What?" he asked, when he noticed them staring at him, their jaws hanging open.

"Sweetie, you just told your ex that there is a killer on the loose, who targets boys Parker's age and that he is still missing. You just lied your ass off to her. Wow…" Angela told him.

"Yeah, well, I figured let her sweat it out for awhile, since she didn't even let me know he was missing." He stood flashing her a smile. "Her reaction should be interesting," he added walking out of the office with his injuries clearly visible. He left the icepack on the table.

"That's hot," Angela said looking at Brennan. Brennan turned to her with an almost puzzled look on her face. "Well it is… Think about it… Hot, overprotective, knight in shining FBI armor, scaring the crap out of his ex because a decision she made could have hurt their son even more. I'm sorry, sweetie, but his over-protectiveness of you and Parker is HOT!"

"Angela!"

"Sorry, sweetie, but it's true," Angela said, leaving the room and Brennan to figure out what she meant.

* * *

**_In front of the Platform_**

Booth was sitting in one of the chairs, waiting for Rebecca to be escorted by security over to him. He was attempting to keep an angry and worried face. It was working fairly well. Rebecca came over to him when she saw him. Booth nodded to security, who then left. She saw his upper body was wrapped in bandages and the large bruise.

"What the hell happened?" she asked him.

"The killer," Booth told her simply.

"I thought you said he was still on the loose." She looked confused.

"He is." Booth then took pity on her. "Follow me." He led her to Brennan's office. Before he opened the door he turned to her. "Be quiet." He opened the door and noticed both women had left the office. Parker was still sound asleep on the couch. Rebecca gasped. Booth looked over at her. Her eyes were wide and tears filled them.

"Not so fun is it, being left in the dark about your son's whereabouts, is it?" He asked in a hiss. She had never heard that much coldness in his voice, especially directed at her. "At least you get a nice surprise… I told you to be careful." He motioned for them to leave the room. "Let him sleep for now." They left the room to continue the conversation in front of the door.

"I know you did, and when Parker went missing, I was afraid. I figured you'd be pissed with me for not listening to you, so I didn't tell you… I'm sorry."

"It's not just me you owe the apology to. You also owe one to Parker. Because you didn't feel the need to tell me the truth we had no idea what boy was missing or going to go missing. If you told us we might have been able to make connections faster and found him faster. He was found in that old baseball field's equipment shack." He paused for a moment trying to think of the best way to say what needed to be said. He decided blunt was the way to go. "Because of a decision you made he was tortured and beaten for over a week and it's possible he saw another boy being tortured, beaten, and killed, too." Rebecca gasped.

"Parker…" she whispered.

"Yeah… I'll warn you he will probably have nightmares for awhile."

"Yeah… maybe I should get him home now."

"Yeah." She turned to walk into the office. Booth stopped her by placing a hand on her arm, so she turned back to him. "Next time listen to me. Call if you need anything with Parker."

"Ok." They went into the office. Booth crouched down next to the couch.

"Hey, bub, wake up." Booth kissed him lightly on the forehead.

"Daddy…" he said sleepily.

"Yeah… mommy's here, too. You ready to go home with mommy?" Parker nodded, sitting up. "Daddy will see you soon." Parker took Rebecca's hand after giving his dad a hug and they left. After they left Booth sat on the couch and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. He heard Brennan come in, but didn't greet her. He was too worn out to, and she could tell that. She sat next to him on the couch and put her left hand on his right knee.

"You ok?"

"Yeah… just tired and worried about Parker. He's going to suffer from this for awhile, probably… It's going to be rough for him…" Booth trailed off, lost in thought, looking at the floor.

"And you too." Booth's head snapped up at that, looking for her to elaborate. "Booth, I know I am horrible at reading people, but I know you. You feel like you let him down. You're worried because he is not always with you, to make sure he's safe. You're pissed that we haven't caught this guy yet. I'm fairly certain actually that this will be harder for you to get over then Parker. You know the pain of being tortured so you know better than anyone the pain he went through, so you feel like you let him down. Am I right?"

"Probably, since you're right about almost everything." Booth chuckled lightly. "Thanks."

"No problem. Now back to business, Cullen just got here. You can use my office to talk to him. Just keep the ice on your head and stay relaxed on the couch… I already explained to Cullen that you were injured, again. I didn't really go into details." She only reminded him about the ice seeing as it was on the table, since he left it off talking to Rebecca.

"Yeah, ok." He put the ice on his head. "Would you mind sending him in?"

"Sure… do you want me to come back in, too?"

"Thanks, but no. As much as I would love for you to stay in here, he only needs to make one of us deaf." Booth chuckled lightly.

"I don't under… Oh, you're saying he's going to be pissed and will probably scream loud."

"Exactly. You're getting good with the sayings." They smiled.

"I'll go get him now."

"Thanks." She nodded, leaving the room. A few moments later Cullen walked in, and sat in the seat across from Booth. He noticed that Cullen didn't look nearly as annoyed as he thought he would be.

"You look like hell," Cullen told Booth.

"Thanks, sir. It's actually not as bad as it looks though."

"Bull shit, Booth. When will you learn that you don't always need to throw yourself in front of bombs, bullets, flames, knives, and all that other crap…? Now I hear there is a potential problem with the case."

"It actually is a problem, not potentially."

"Explain."

"Well, sir, I know who the killer is… and that is the problem. You've read over my military file…"

"Get to the point, Booth!"

"It's Raddick's son… He was personally looking for revenge on me. He knew I was the sniper."

"Oh. We have a leak in the FBI or Army."

"Yes, and they are still helping him. I know I saw at least two people in the car that shot at us."

"So, what do you need me to do?"

"Well, first, I need to know how much I can tell the squints."

"Your friends, your file, your choice. Just let me know what you tell them, so I don't give them anything you don't want them to know."

"I think I will just tell them about Raddick… try to avoid the torture details since it was at a different time. I'm guessing the leak told him about the torture. I think we need to keep the knowledge of a leak quite for now, because if they find out we know about it things could get ugly, fast. I don't know who to go to for information anymore which is why I called you. Should I just keep Mark and Pat on a need to know basis, this way they aren't really too involved and in danger."

"Yeah… let me know what I can do to help. Now I have to go do some paperwork." Cullen got up and walked out of the room, patting Booth on the back in a good luck gesture.

"Have fun with the paperwork. Glad I'm not you," Booth said laughing. Cullen chuckled.

"Shut up, Booth." Booth followed him out of the office. He saw the team on the platform and scanned himself up.

"Anything new, squints?" He asked looking between them all, and Sweets, who just happened to be there as well.

"Nothing yet on our end. We need to know what you got first before we can know what to look for," Cam told him.

Booth nodded. "Ok, let's take this conversation to the lounge. It's probably going to be a long one." The squints and Sweets started to head up to the lounge. Brennan had already figured out what he was planning on telling them. She put her hand on his arm to pause him for a moment, from following the others. He turned to her.

"You ok to do this?" She asked knowing how hard it was going to be for him.

"Either way it has to be done, I'll be fine… Thanks, though. " They both went up to the lounge. Booth and Brennan sat on the couch. The others pulled chairs over to surround them.

"What about Mark and Pat?" Angela asked before he began.

"They're on a need to know basis. They're still with the techs, gathering evidence, at the scene."

"But you can tell us?" Sweets asked.

"I was told, by Cullen, 'My file, my squints, my choice', so I'm telling you about what pertains to the case."

"Ok, let's hear it," Cam said.

"First off, I know who the killer is, the target, and why he's doing this…"

"That's a good thing, right," Hodgins said.

"Not exac—" Booth was interrupted by a loud shout coming from the entrance.

"Hey, where is everyone?" Booth recognized the voice as Max's.

"Up in the lounge… get up here," Booth called down to him.

"I thought I told you to keep me in the loop… This is the one case I hear nothing about from my sources." Max was saying walking over to them. He continued his rant, not looking in Booth's direction, about how he should have been contacted. His eyes eventually found Booth, and Max had to do a double take when he saw the injuries. "What the hell happened to you, again!" Max said, ending his rant.

"We were just about to find out. Sit!" Cam told him forcefully. He chose to listen.

"Well to fill you in on what is going on, Parker was taken by the killer, my ex didn't bother to tell me he was missing—" Booth was cut off by Max.

"Is he ok?" Max asked concerned. He liked Booth and the kid, from getting to know him with science experiments.

"Yeah, we found out he was missing when the body of another boy came in because the skeleton was so similar. We got him back. He's with Rebecca, he was a little injured, but he's alive."

"Ok, so what happened to you?"

"Getting Parker back, I ran into the killer. He took a knife to my back and hit me in the head with a baseball bat."

"Ouch… and the killer?"

"He ran. I do know who it is, though."

"That's a good thing, at least."

"Not exactly… It actually gives us a problem. I was just about to explain why and tell you the target and motive, too."

"Let's hear it," Max said.

"Ok, so first off, things are about to get much more complicated," Booth paused for a moment. "I'm really not sure where to begin."

"Ok. We'll start with an easy question then," Cam told him. "Who is the target?"

"Booth," Brennan told them.

"You're sure?" Sweets asked. Booth and Brennan nodded, and Brennan continued speaking.

"After Booth provided me with the facts after he saw who the killer was it all fit: the injuries, the way they were killed, the ages, everything."

"Ok, but what could possibly be the motive for causing that much pain?" Angela asked.

"Simple, he believes I destroyed his family, so first he needed to get our attention, then he wanted to destroy my family the way he believes I destroyed his. He didn't want to make it quick though. He was looking to cause more pain."

"Ok, so you know who the killer is. Who is it?" Hodgins asked.

Booth thought things through for a moment. "You are going to need to know the full story behind him to get a clearer idea of why he wants revenge… I'll warn you first though, some of you may not want to hear it. In that case I suggest you leave." He paused, no one moved so he continued. "Before I start, Hodgins, I'm going to need to talk to you after."

"Why?" Hodgins asked.

"Because you are a paranoid conspiracy theorist, so you may have decent ideas with something I need help with."

"Ok," Hodgins said, secretly thrilled that his paranoia was going to be useful to the G-man.

"What I say here does not leave this room." He waited for everyone to nod their consent before he continued. He took a deep breath before he began. "When I was in the Rangers, I was sent to Kosovo… There was this Serb General, General Raddick… He wanted to ethnically purify the area. He would go in and just wipe out villages. We had proof and known he'd done this at least twice already. 232 people just erased. He was due to leave just after his son's birthday party. I was the sniper sent in to stop him. His son was maybe six or seven. No one knew where the bullet came from, but they knew why it did. He fell in front of his son… that little boy, all covered in his dad's blood, was just changed…" Booth trailed off, swallowing hard.

"So you're saying that it's the general's son?" Cam asked. Booth nodded.

"I don't understand. What makes things more complicated?" Angela asked.

Hodgins answered. "A sniper's missions are classified. They work in the dark, mostly." Angela nodded as she realized what that meant. "What I don't understand is the torture. It sounds to me as if his father's death was quick."

"There was information in my army files about torture and the injuries from that. He's seen my files therefore. This case is harder because he was specifically looking for revenge on me, knew I was the sniper and knew of the torture. Someone with access to my files is helping him. There is a leak in either the army or FBI."

"So that's what you need my help with." Hodgins stated.

"Sort of, I need some ideas anyway."

"Alright, so where is this guy now?" Max asked.

"Don't know, he ran off after he hit me in the head with the bat. We have to track him down again."

"Let me know if I can help," Max told him.

"Thanks, Max, but I think we aren't going to find him by looking for him."

"What do you mean, Booth?" Brennan asked.

"He used the boys to get our attention; we now know what he is trying to do. I think next time he will be going for me."

"You sure?" Max asked.

"Not really, but it's my highest bet." Booth's cell started to ring. He picked it up and answered. "Booth."

"It's Mark, we've found stuff in the shed you are not going to like one bit…"

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 6 let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!...**


	7. A New Disaster and Waiting

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**One of my reviewers last chapter, Mendenbar, also had a couple comments/questions about events of last chapter that some of you may be wondering too and that i probably should have made more clear... first was with Raddick slashing Booth across the back... Mendenbar pointed out that it sounds like it wasn't really that bad of a gash or that something had to have been wrong with Raddicks arm... the gash wasn't that deep... he sliced down his back and just really didn't care if he seriously hurt him or not. It was more of a 'look who's behind you', trying to get his attention type of thing... Mendenbar also pointed out that a full swing of the baseball bat would leave Booth more than a little stunned... but keep in mind it wouldn't have been a full swing with how close Raddick was to him. It wouldn't even be close. The last thing asked about was why Booth let Rebecca and Parker leave without agents tailing them or going to a safe house... I figured from Booth's point of view it was a losing argument with Rebecca. She would never go for running so it would probably lead to a bigger fight between them and if something did happen again, even if they were or were not being protected, if he had even suggested hiding she wouldn't tell him if something happened. As for the agents tailing them... he knows there is/was a leak in the army or FBI... he doesn't know which at this point or if they are still working there... so what would happen if he assigned the leak to them or the leak tricked the agents he assigned to them into thinking that Booth sent the leak to take over for a little while to give them a break?... hope that clears up any confusion or questions any of you had.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_Booth's cell started to ring. He picked it up and answered. "Booth."_

_"It's Mark, we've found stuff in the shed you are not going to like one bit…"_

* * *

**Killing for Revenge**

**Chapter 7: A New Disaster and Waiting**

* * *

"What do you mean by that?" Booth asked.

"Can you just get down here…This is something you need to see. I suggest you leave everyone else in the lab, with the increased security. Things just got worse, I think."

"Again, what do you mean by that?" Booth was getting frustrated with the lack of information he was being given.

"Sorry, Agent Booth, but I really don't know how to explain it and this is something you really need to see to believe. We are dealing with one sick bastard."

"Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can." Booth hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Wendell asked, noticing Booth seemed to be stressed out.

"Apparently they found something new at the shed and they said I'm not going to like it at all. All of you need to stay here with the increased security while I head back. Sorry, Max, but that means you too. No one comes in; no one goes out."

"That is ridiculous. I can take care of myself. I don't need protection," Brennan started to argue.

"Bones, just humor me, ok, please. He's already made it clear that I'm his target, but that he is willing to hurt anyone close to me." He paused for a moment, then said in a quieter voice, directly to her, "I almost lost Parker, Rebecca took him home and away from the safety of the lab, when he is still clearly in danger… At least allow me the comfort of knowing that at least one of the two of you are safe."

Brennan saw how he was basically pleading with her, so she nodded. "Fine. But you better bring back some fries from the diner on your way back to make it up to me." Brennan smiled.

"Fries and a piece of pie on my way back, got it! Anyone else want anything when I get back?" They all told him what they would like. "See you later," he called over his shoulder, leaving the platform.

"Sweetie, are you feeling ok?" Angela asked Brennan after Booth left.

"I feel fine, Ange. Why are you asking? Do I look off to you?"

"No, it's an expression, Sweetie. I've just never seen you give in to being protected so easily, so you just shocked me."

"I figured Booth is worried enough with Parker not being here at the lab, if my being here is going to make him a little calmer and more focused, then I'll give him that; besides it's not like there is nothing to do here. I wanted to keep working anyway. The fries he's now getting me are just a bonus." Brennan smiled.

"Wow, Sweetie, you are so totally in love with him. You'd still be out there if anyone else had asked. That just proves it. Who knew you could be so manipulative of him too."

"Ange, we're—"

"Just partners… we know," everyone else said at the same time. Brennan had temporarily forgotten that she and everyone else was on the platform. She tried to hide her embarrassment, though she was unsure about what she was embarrassed about.

"Ok, why don't we start looking through all this evidence again? Now that we know who this guy is we may find something we missed before," Brennan told them. Everyone headed toward their stations, except for Max and Sweets.

"What can we do, Tempe?" Max asked.

"I don't know yet. If I think of something I'll let you know," she told them already becoming absorbed in her work.

* * *

**_Back at the Shed_**

Booth was able to park fairly close to the parameter, but he was far enough away that his SUV wasn't really close to anything. As he got out he noticed three agents, in standard FBI dress suits, coming toward him. He recognized them from around the Hoover, but they were fairly new so he was drawing a blank on their names. He knew though that they came in a few weeks after Mark and Pat. He was getting pretty sick of the FBI giving him all the newbies.

"Agent Booth," one of them started to say when they approached him.

"Yes."

"Agent Mark has ordered Adam, David, and myself to watch your vehicle while you are with them at the shed." The agent speaking signaled to each person respectively at their name.

"Ok. Did he happen to say why?"

"Not really sir, just that it was Cullen's orders," the agent who was identified as David told him.

"All Cullen explained to him was that this case was getting more complicated. I don't think he even fully knows what's going on," Adam continued. "He said that Tom and the two of us need to make sure that no one comes near your car."

"Alright, well I'll be back soon hopefully," Booth told them walking toward the shed. They nodded.

When Booth got over to the shed he looked for Mark. When he found him he walked over to him. "What have you got for me, Mark?"

"We were cleaning out the shed and we noticed the dimensions from the outside don't match the inside, so we looked a little closer and found a hidden room."

"Ok… what did you find?" Booth asked as they came to the entry that was hidden before.

"This," Mark said as he removed the panel that they had re-put in front of the entry.

"Oh man," Booth commented as he saw what was in the room. On one wall there were various pictures of the boys that were murdered and Parker. On the second wall were pictures of the squints and himself. Some of these were even marked to have someone taken out. The target would vary. On the third wall was one picture of all the boys with a number below each. Booth noticed that the numbers were also in the order they were killed. Parker did not have a number below his. He looked at the pictures more carefully, feeling he was missing something. After a few minutes he realized what it was. "Oh man, how did I miss that before?"

"What?" Mark asked him.

"Look closely at the pictures of the boys, in the order that they were killed. They all resemble Parker a little more than the last one. I was thinking their appearances were a little strange a while ago, but after looking at them in a line together, I'm sure of it."

"Oh…I see it now."

"Yeah." Booth looked at the last wall and got really pissed. It was covered with pictures of himself, most having targets and such written on them. He had been being hunted. In some of the pictures he was not alone either. There were some of him entering his apartment, others of him and Bones at the diner, going into the Hoover and the lab. Some had his son in them as well. "This guy has been stalking me!"

"It appears that way, yes." Mark almost wanted to laugh at the expression Booth's face. It was a mixture of stunned disbelief and anger. The only thing that stopped him from laughing was the seriousness of the situation and the fear that Booth would shoot him.

"I really hate stalkers…" Booth started on an entire rant about them being rude, invading people's privacy, shooting at people and being just plain annoying and aggressive. Mark was having difficulty controlling his chuckling at Booth's ranting, at least until Booth glared at him. Booth calmed himself down after a minute. "Make sure all of this gets packed and sent to the lab, too."

"Yes, sir," he said as Booth started to leave. "Where are you headed now?"

"The squints have requested food from the diner before heading back to the lab, Bones wants to steal my fries again," Booth said laughing.

"Ok… be careful, sir… It appears this guy really doesn't like you."

"That's the understatement of the century… see you later"

Booth started the walk back to the SUV. When he got nearer, the three agents met him a couple feet away from the SUV.

"Already finished up here, sir?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, not much more we can do with the evidence here. We have to wait for it to get back to the Jeffersonian." Booth started walking to the SUV, then turned around to the agents. "No one came near the car, right?"

"No sir. Can we ask why you're asking?" Adam asked

"Just the case is getting more complicated as we go."

"Alright," Adam said as the three of them started walking back to the shed. Booth started walking back to the SUV, again, thinking about the case. He was trying to figure out when and where this guy was going to attack based on the pictures in the shed. He was chuckling slightly to himself though, still hearing the conversation between the other agents.

"Being this new sucks. We get told nothing about anything. We have no idea what is going on, and it sounds pretty big," Tom complained to Adam and David.

"I don't think Mark even fully knows what is going on," David replied.

"He at least knows more than we do," Adam said.

"That's only because he's been working on this case longer. He was given security detail for two of the people from the Jeffersonian too, from what I hear, and you've heard how Booth gets with them being in danger," David answered.

"How'd he—" Adam was cut off by a loud bang coming from behind them. They were about halfway between the shed and SUV. The three agents turned quickly at the sound. They saw Booth's SUV explode from the bomb, and Booth, who was just opening his door, fly backwards about 15 feet before slamming into a nearby tree. He slid down the tree, unconscious, as the driver's door landed on top of him. Booth was also covered in flames.

"Holy shit!" Tom shouted as he started running toward the SUV. "One of you call for an ambulance, the other get Mark," he called over his shoulder. He was taking off his suit jacket as he was running, getting ready to smother the flames on Booth. Adam went to get Mark as David took out his cell. Tom got to Booth fairly quickly and threw the door off of him. He laid his jacket over Booth's chest first to smother the more serious flames, then moved to his stomach, arms and legs. He noted that on top of the burns Booth had many lacerations too. He could guess, from the position he landed in, that many of his bones were broken as well. Tom then noticed the shallow breathing, so he put his fingers to Booth's neck to check for a pulse. After a moment he found it and was relieved to find that, while it was fairly weak, it was steady. David then approached him.

"Ambulance should be here in a minute. How is he doing?"

"He's alive and holding on for now at least." Mark and Adam were now running over.

"What the hell happened?" Mark demanded of them.

"We're not really sure," Adam started to respond, "No one came near the car while we were watching it. I'm guessing it was tampered with before he got here since it just seemed to explode."

"Ok. What is the status of the situation?" Mark asked.

"Ambulance should be here in a minute," David informed him.

"And Booth's condition?"

"He really doesn't seem to be in good shape. You can see all the burns and lacerations. From the position he landed in I'm fairly sure he broke bones too. His breathing is pretty shallow too." Tom told Mark, motioning to Booth's left arm and leg which were bent in awkward positions. Mark winced looking at Booth.

"Has anyone called Cullen and Dr. Brennan yet?" Mark asked.

"No, aren't we supposed to know more first before we call Cullen?"

"Normally, but in this case Cullen will want to know now. He cares about Booth a lot from what I hear. David can you call him? Tell his secretary, if she answers, that it's urgent."

"Alright," David said taking out his phone as they heard the sirens in the distance. As David moved away from the group slightly Mark told Adam to call Dr. Brennan. He gave him her office number. He moved off to the side to make the phone call as well.

"How's Booth doing?" he asked Tom as the sirens were getting closer.

"He's holding on. Pulse is still extremely weak, though." Mark nodded. The ambulance arrived at this point and the paramedics set to work instantly. They covered his nose and mouth with an oxygen mask and started calling his stats to each other prepping to move him onto a gurney. Mark turned his attention to the conversions the two agents were having. Neither seemed to be having an easy time.

"…Janet, put Cullen on, it's urgent," David paused to listen to her answer. "I know you said he was in a meeting, but just tell him it's about Booth." Another pause. "Thank you." There was a longer pause than the first two, so Mark guessed she was relaying the message. Mark noticed David's body tense and figured Cullen just went onto the line. "Um, yes sir, it is important…um Booth's car, um, exploded from a bomb. Booth was caught in the explosion." There was a pause. "No sir. I don't know paramedics just got here and started working on him." Another pause. "Yes sir, okay." David hung up.

"…um isn't this Dr. Brennan's office?" Adam asked. He paused to hear the response. "This is Agent Adam Salt. I really need to speak with her." A pause. "I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important," he said getting frustrated with the person on the other end of the phone. "Look, it's about Agent Booth. Will you just give her the phone already?" Another pause. "Thank you." A longer pause as he waited for her to pick up. "Dr. Brennan, this is Agent Adam Salt, um, Agent Booth's car has been, um, blown up." A pause. "No, he wasn't in the car, thankfully, but he was next to it." Another pause. "I don't know; he's being worked on by the paramedics now. They're getting him ready for transport to the hospital now." A pause. "Dr. Brennan?...Hello?" He looked at the display on his phone. "She hung up on me…" he said turning to face Mark and David. Mark laughed.

"Yeah, she tends to be abrupt from what I hear. What did they say?"

"Cullen said he would meet them at the hospital. He also wants one of us there too."

"Dr. Brennan hung up on me before she said."

Mark laughed again. "She'll be there too, along with the rest of the squint squad, as Booth calls them."

"How do you know?" Adam asked.

"Cause he's part of their family."

Tom came over to them. "They just drove off," he told them. Mark noticed he looked a little pale.

"You okay?" Tom nodded. "How was Booth when they left with him?" Mark noticed his eyes widen at the question and knew the answer wouldn't be good.

"Um, his pulse was weakening as they were working on him. They think with how shallowly he was breathing that a rib punctured one of his lungs."

"Shit," Mark said. He turned to Adam and David. "Both of you head back to the shed and see if they need any help." He then turned to Tom. "You're coming with me to the hospital." Tom nodded as the other two left. They went over to Mark's car, got in, and headed for the hospital.

* * *

**_The Hospital Waiting Room_**

Mark and Tom walked into the waiting room of the hospital and noticed Cullen and Brennan, along with the rest of the squints, were already there. Max and Sweets were also there. Cullen saw them first and walked over to have a private conversation with them.

"What the hell happened?" Cullen asked them. Neither missed the worry or urgency in his voice. They also noticed how he kept his voice low to avoid the others hearing. Max noticed them, however, and came over anyway. He was somewhat relieved that it appeared his daughter was still too stunned to make the agents lives hell. He knew that that thought could be considered somewhat cruel, but from the looks on the faces of the two agents he was pretty sure things weren't good.

"What's going on?" Max asked as he got there.

"We aren't really sure. No one came over to Booth's car while he was gone. He just came back was going to get in and it exploded," Tom explained.

"Oh man," Cullen said. "How bad?"

"He was in the process of opening his car door. I had heard him laughing at our conversation a couple times, so I think it's a good thing he was listening in because otherwise he probably would have been moving faster and would have probably been inside when…" Tom said trailing off noticing Cullen's and Max's faces going paler.

"How bad?" Cullen repeated.

"What have they told you already?" Mark asked them.

"Nothing," Max said. "When we got here he was already taken in for x-rays and crap. They haven't told us about anything else."

Tom nodded. "I know that when the paramedics got there his pulse was fairly slow and getting a little slower, but it was still fairly steady. They immediately put him on an oxygen mask. His breathing was fairly shallow too. They were guessing one of his ribs punctured a lung. Truthfully he looked pretty bad. Sorry, I don't know anything more."

The four men noticed Dr. Andrews walking over to the rest of the group and went to rejoin them. Brennan's head snapped up at the doctor's arrival.

"What's going on?...How is he?" Cam asked.

"I'm guessing all of you are here for Seeley Booth?"

"Yes. How is he?" Cam repeated.

"He's in fairly bad shape, but I remember him from previous injuries so I also know if anyone can make it, it would be him. I still remember when he was blown up by a fridge. My staff wasn't happy when he broke out of here with all those injuries. They really hated that short guy with the curly hair that helped him break out," the doctor said chuckling lightly. He then noticed Hodgins. "That was you wasn't it?"

"How's Booth?" Hodgins said, trying to change the topic.

"Right, well Agent Booth has many lacerations from the metal and glass of his car, along with very serious burns on his chest, stomach, arms, legs, and right hand. He also has a few minor burns and cuts on his face. Bruising is also starting to form. He lucked out though, he must have a very strong skull, because as far as we can tell there is no sign of any brain damage or a concussion. However, he also has a broken left tibia and fibula, left dislocated patella, right hip bone bruise, broken left radius and ulna, fractured left clavicle, bruised back bones and most of his ribs were also broken. One punctured a lung. He also has some minor internal bleeding. We're prepping him for surgery now. I believe he will make a full recovery, but he will be sore for awhile and probably unconscious for awhile from the pain as well. We will probably decide to keep him sedated for awhile as well."

"Alright, thanks," Max said while looking at his daughter, who looked fairly worried. "Can we see him quickly before he goes in?"

"I don't…" the doctor started to say, but paused when he noticed Max motioning his head to Brennan. He sighed. "I can give you a couple minutes, but only two people at the most. He's still in bad shape."

"Thank you," Max said. He turned to face Brennan. "Tempe, you want to see him quickly?" She nodded. "I'm going with her," Max told the others as the doctor led him and his daughter down the hall to the room Booth was temporarily in.

"I didn't understand most of what Booth's doc said. You guys actually followed that?" Tom spoke.

"They know our little group by now and that they can use the technical terms with us," Cam informed him.

"Basically both of the bones in his lower left leg are fractured, his left knee dislocated, broke both bones in his left arm, fractured left shoulder. On top of surgery for the lung and internal bleeding, they may need it to help set the bones in his leg and arm." Wendell explained. Angela swallowed hard. She noticed a strange look on Hodgins's face.

"What?" She asked him.

"Oh, um, just thinking… and I'm not sure you are going to like what I'm thinking at all."

"What do you mean?" Cullen asked knowing how much Booth trusted the squints with their scientific theories.

"I'm thinking we're past the stage of this guy wanting to hurt Booth. His goal with the bomb was to kill him."

"How so? It went off when he wasn't in the car," Cullen said.

"Yeah, but I heard you guys talking over there. If he wasn't listening in on that conversation he would have been inside and probably driving off already."

"How does that equate to him trying to kill Booth?" Sweets asked.

"Think about it…the closer to a bomb you are the more damage it does. Booth was opening his door. Most of his injuries are on his left indicating the bomb was to his left, which indicates that the bomb was either under the hood of his car or his seat. I'm guessing under the hood. If it was under the seat he'd probably have more injuries on his right side too. Either way though if he was in the car it would have been directly under him or in front of him."

"You're sure?" Cullen asked, now more worried for Booth's safety.

"Yes." As Hodgins said this, Angela stood up.

"I'm gonna go check on Bren and Max." She walked down the hall and saw Max outside of a room. She looked at him questioningly.

"Figured I'd give her some time alone with him." Angela nodded and walked into the room. What she saw made her freeze in her tracks. Booth was as pale as a ghost and had an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. He looked very weak. Only some of his injuries were wrapped also. If they all were wrapped the bandages would be getting in the doctor's way. She saw Brennan sitting in a chair nearby. She looked afraid to touch him. Angela desperately wanted to leave the room, but knew Brennan needed her. She could see why Max wasn't in the room. The sight was not pleasant with the shape Booth was in. The only comfort she found was in the beep of the heart monitor he was hooked up to. It showed he was still holding on. Angela moved up behind Brennan and rubbed her back gently.

"He'll be okay, Sweetie."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do… He's Booth, he's strong… Come on Sweetie, why don't we leave and let them get to work on him." Brennan nodded and slowly rose to her feet, her eyes never leaving his face. She leaned over him and lightly kissed his cheek, without thinking, and whispered something Angela couldn't hear in his ear. Then they left the room, Brennan a little before Angela. "You better hang on for her," Angela whispered before she turned and left the room following Brennan. Brennan was walking a few feet in front of Max, so Angela quickly caught up to Max and smacked him in the back of the head.

"Ow… What was that for?"

"You could have warned me about how bad he looked," Angela whispered harshly to him.

"Yeah, I could have, but first of all, would it have stopped you from going in and secondly, you know me, I'm a hardened criminal who wants to convince my daughter that I'm here to stay and to give me a second chance, and I know the best chance I have is through that man in there. You're smart you could have figured that out… I owe him a lot. I've also looked him up so I know a lot about him, probably more than he would like… I'm not gonna go into details but I'm fairly certain things in his past is what is making him help me to try and get my daughter back. As I said before… nicest guy to ever arrest me. I respect him… I couldn't see him like that for long… I actually like the guy. I didn't really bat an eye at Kirby spilling his guts but Booth like that…" Max trailed off noting that that sounded kind of bad and tried to make what he was trying to say clearer, but Angela interrupted him.

"I get what you're saying, and you're right…and now we wait."

"Yeah…man I'm getting to old for all this stress," he said as they arrived back to the others. Cam saw them approaching and got out of her seat, pulling Angela to the side.

"How bad is he, really?"

"He really doesn't look good at all, Cam," Angela told her reclaiming her seat next to Hodgins, putting her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her. Even though they were no longer a couple they still found comfort in each other. They all settled down to wait.

After a few hours of waiting everyone was asleep in their chairs except for Cullen and Max. They were sitting across the aisle from each other. Brennan was to Max's left, followed by Angela, Hodgins, and Wendell. Cullen was across from Max, and to his right were Mark, Tom, Cam, and Sweets. Max noticed Cullen thinking hard about something, so he got up and took the seat next to him. "What are you thinking?"

"While you were with your daughter Dr. Hodgins came up with a theory based upon Booth's injuries that I really don't like. With Booth's injuries he figures the bomb was either under the hood of his car or his seat. He's past the point of wanting to hurt Booth. He's just trying to kill him. He's proven he can get passed security. Booth's severely injured, and I can't even guarantee that he is safe here. He'll be in no condition to be moved for awhile… I just am not sure what to do in this situation."

"Well, I know my daughter probably won't be going anywhere until he at least regains consciousness and some mobility. I can stay too, if you want. Between me and my daughter no one stands a chance." Max saw the look Cullen was giving him. It was a mixture of fear, confusion, and an understanding of his past, which brought in concern too. "Hey, I actually like Booth… and I won't kill anyone… can't make the same statement for Tempe though. I owe Booth and if this will help…" Cullen looked a little relieved at those statements.

"Alright, for now, I guess. I'm also leaving two agents on the door so that you both don't need to be in there at all times. However, you are the one telling your daughter what she has just been volunteered for." Max nodded. They fell into silence for a few minutes, lost in thoughts. Cullen glanced over at Max.

"You're worried about him," Cullen stated.

"Let's just say Kirby might have looked better than him." Cullen winced, remembering how Kirby looked. They fell into silence again.

After another two hours, Cam began to stir. She noticed Max and Cullen still awake. "Any news?" They shook their heads. After a few more minutes the three noticed Dr. Andrews approaching them. His scrubs were covered in blood and he looked exhausted. Max, Cam, and Cullen started waking the others up. By the time the doctor finished crossing the room everyone was on their feet waiting for news on their friend and family member. No one knew what to expect…

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 7, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!...**


	8. What Now?

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_…After a few more minutes the three noticed the doctor approaching them. His scrubs were covered in blood and he looked exhausted. Max, Cam, and Cullen started waking the others up. By the time the doctor finished crossing the room everyone was on their feet waiting for news on their friend and family member. No one knew what to expect…  
_

* * *

**Killing for Revenge**

**Chapter 8: What Now?**

* * *

The doctor approached them. Everyone could see just how tired he was. They all, unconsciously, held their breaths, waiting to hear what he was going to say. The doctor smiled at them lightly, causing everyone to release the breath they were holding.

"He pulled through… We had a couple of extremely close calls, but he hung on. I don't think I've ever seen someone that strong. He's still in critical condition however and the next few days are going to be crucial with how serious his injuries are. He's currently being moved to a room in ICU. I'm fairly confident he will make a full recovery. We currently have him sedated due to the amount of stress the injuries will be putting on his body and we will slowly be weaning him off, but he will most likely stay unconscious for a few days. It depends on how his body reacts to the pain and medication."

"And the surgeries?" Cam asked.

"All successful… We were also able to adjust his arm and leg so that they should heal naturally, which will speed up his recovery time. He needed some stitches as well but most should be able to be removed in a week. He probably won't really be able to move much for awhile with the pain."

"Can we see him?" Brennan asked.

"Only two or three, since he is still in ICU."

"You three go," Cam said looking between Brennan, Max, and Angela. "You're the ones who saw him before." They nodded as Cullen called the doctor over to him.

"I am having two agents on the door and Dr. Brennan and Max are to be allowed to be in the room at all times do to security issues." The look Cullen was giving the doctor was one of "go ahead and try to contradict me". The doctor realized not to bother to argue and just nodded.

"I'll show you three to his room then," the doctor said turning to lead them to ICU.

Angela turned to Cullen, "Why don't you go up, I know you want to see him too."

"Thanks for the concern, but I can wait till you come out," Cullen said smiling at her. She nodded and followed Max, Brennan, and the doctor. She heard Max fill Brennan in on the conversation he had with Cullen.

"Good, cause I wasn't leaving anyway, but you don't have to stay too," Brennan responded. Angela smiled to herself at hearing that comment, thinking that Brennan was so clueless as to her feelings and that she was going to need to kick some sense into her.

"I know, but I want to… He's helped both of us a lot and I actually like Booth. He's good for you."

"Don't start with that again, we're ju—"

"Just partners, I know… but Tempe stop denying it." Both Angela and Brennan knew what he was talking about causing Angela to smile wider.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Brennan tried to deny. Angela rolled her eyes.

"Sure, Sweetie, sure," Angela said. "Just think about it." Just then they arrived at the room Booth was in. Before they could see anything through the glass window the doctor turned to them.

"I'll warn you, he still doesn't look good… I also know that you both are staying," the doctor said looking at Max and Brennan, "but if you and the others could just make it a quick visit… visiting hours for the ICU are long over by now…"

"Sure no problem… When are visiting hours so I can let them know?"

"For ICU, it's 12—3pm. When he's finally able to be moved to a normal room it's 10am—4pm."

"I'll let them know when I go back out and only three to a room still?"

"While in ICU, yes, at least until he is conscious and stronger. When he's moved he can have more visitors."

Brennan, Max, and Angela walked into the room. The doctor wasn't joking when he said he didn't look good. Booth was covered with various wires and tubes monitoring his vitals and keeping him hydrated. An IV line was inserted at his right elbow, one of the few spots that was not covered with a bandage or cast. Brennan also noted the morphine drip for the pain when he finally came to. She noted that they still kept him on an oxygen mask. He was covered with bandages over most of his body, where the burns and lacerations were, where there were not braces for the broken bones. He had a large brace on his left leg and arm. She could also tell there were bandages under the braces. She guessed that was why he wasn't in real casts. His left arm was also in a sling bound to his body so that he avoided moving the broken clavicle when he woke.

"We're still keeping him on the mask to make breathing easier for him with all the broken ribs. When he wakes, depending on how he is doing, we will either take him off the oxygen completely or switch him to the nasal cannula. We unfortunately couldn't put him in proper casts do to the burns and bandages, so the braces will have to do," the doctor told them. He then left the room. The three stood there for a few moments, happy to note that Booth's breathing was almost back to normal.

"I'm gonna head out, Sweetie, try to convince the others to wait until tomorrow to see him, but do you need anything?" Angela asked Brennan.

"I'm not going anywhere, so can you just bring me my laptop and anything else you think I might need when you come back."

"Sure, I'll bring the stuff by tomorrow."

"Thanks Ange." Angela left as Max and Brennan took seats by Booth's bed. Brennan took Booth's right hand gently in hers and put her head on her arm on the bed near that hand and quickly fell asleep. Max really wasn't surprised by the action, he was just surprised that she did it so willingly in front of him.

* * *

The next six days passed slowly for everyone. The doctor had slowly been weaning Booth off the sedation. He had even decided to switch him to the nasal cannula, since he appeared to be recovering quickly. The squints all stopped by for short periods of time, but they mostly stayed in the lab. Russ and Rebecca even stopped by: Russ to see how his sister was holding up (he heard of the accident from their father) and Rebecca to see how Parker's dad was. She didn't bring Parker though because she didn't want to worry him since they all knew it was the same person that had taken Parker that hurt Booth. She also still didn't want Parker near his father because she still felt that he wasn't safe with his father. She didn't want him to grow up completely fatherless though. Brennan was working on trying to convince her that the hospital was at least safe.

Hodgins and Wendell were busy with Booth's car, trying to determine what the bomb was made from. They had already determined from the force of the blast, heat of the fire, how long it burned for, and the damage, that the bomb was under the hood of the car. They informed the others of this and also informed them that if Booth had been in the car he definitely would not have survived. While they were having problems figuring the bomb out, because materials and components that were found at the scene seem high tech, they still found the time to drop by often.

Angela visited more than the others. She brought Brennan her laptop and some changes of clothes. Angela had also gone to Booth's apartment to pick up a change of clothes for him as well since all he had was a pair of pants from the hospital seeing as his ribs and such were to heavily bandaged. Angela commented on the fake rock. Brennan laughed informing her that she knew of it and thought it was a stupid idea and that anyone should be able to tell it was fake. Brennan had also wanted to be kept informed about anything relating to the case, so Angela had been telling her everything as it was discovered, including the fact that if Booth was in the car he would have died.

At this point, it was just after visiting hours in the ICU. Angela had just left telling Brennan to take care of herself and get some rest. Brennan had never really left the room and Angela knew it. There was a bathroom in the room and Max brought her food. The chair couldn't have been comfortable to sleep on, but she knew Brennan didn't really care. She was, however, being productive and making progress on her next book. It was just her and Max left in the room now. Mark and Pat were the two agents on the door at this time. Brennan looked exhausted and was yawning a lot.

"Tempe, why don't you go home and rest for a little while… sleep in a bed. I'll stay here with Booth." She shook her head. "Tempe, he'll still be here when you get back." She shook her head again, so he played the last card he had. He knew it was low, but he felt he didn't have a choice. "You know when Booth wakes up he'll be pissed that you haven't been taking care of yourself and haven't gone home to sleep in six days. He's also going to need your help with things when he wakes up and gets released from the hospital, and I doubt he'll let anyone else help. Please go home and rest, even if only for a few hours. I promise I'll call if anything changes."

Brennan thought for a few minutes. She knew she was going to lose and that he was right. "Fine… I'll be back in two hours."

"Four."

"Three or I'm not leaving."

"Fine," he sighed. He wished she would take more time, but three hours was better than nothing.

"I'll be back soon," she said leaving. Max wasn't sure if she was talking to him or Booth, but he found he didn't really care.

After some time, Max started looking around for her laptop. He was bored and had just finished the book he had been reading. He knew she would be pissed with him for trying to get a sneak peak of her book, but he was not planning on getting caught. He found the laptop in the corner with Booth's bag and her things and picked it up. He turned it on and clicked on the document for her book. A small box appeared.

"Damn it… she password protected it! Ugh!...why'd I have to have such a smart kid!"

"Try Jasper or Jupiter," a very groggy, hoarse, and weak voice said. Max typed Jasper in first and was shocked when the file opened. "You know if that is Bones' new book she's going to kick your ass," the voice said. It took Max a few minutes to process that he was alone in the room and that there shouldn't be another voice. When he did, he jumped out of his seat.

"Damn, I must be getting old… How are you feeling, Booth?" Max asked moving to the call button that they were told to hit when he finally woke up. Before Booth could answer his doctor came into the room and moved over to the bed. He also removed the nasal cannula from his head. A nurse came in with a cup of water and a straw. The doctor helped Booth take a sip before he spoke.

"Good to see you back with the living, Agent Booth."

"Yeah, but haven't I been here enough times to move past the formalities," Booth said with a slight smile recognizing the doctor from the many times he's been blown up, tortured, and shot over the years. Max and the doctor both chuckled lightly at that comment, knowing Booth was attempting to draw the attention away from his injuries.

The doctor proceeded to explain his injuries to him. "You could also probably stay off the oxygen support. I think you are healing well enough, but it may cause a little more pain…" Booth cut him off saying he'll stay off. "Fine, but if we think you start needing more assistance we're putting you back on… Now do you have any questions?"

"Yeah, when the hell can I get out of here and get some real food?" Max and the doctor laughed again.

"Same old smart ass, you ask the same thing every time you're seriously injured. Is food all you ever think about?"

"Yeah well it's not my fault the only thing edible here is the pudding, and I can get very hungry from working all the time," Booth said chuckling lightly and yawning.

"Get some sleep… you know the drill, hit the call button if you need something." The doctor left the room hearing Booth mumbling something about all he needed was a slice of pie and edible food. Something told him that this was going to be a long week. He shut the door behind him.

"So…blown up by a fridge?" Max asked.

"Yeah, your daughter's… speaking of her, which is it a good thing or bad thing that you're here and she isn't?" Booth asked, yawning again. Max explained the past few days to him and how he kicked her out.

"I should call her and let her know you're up," Max said rising.

"Don't… you call her and you know she is going to come rushing over. She needs to rest too, and according to you she left awhile ago so she'll be back soon anyway."

"Fine, but you're taking the beating from her for not calling."

"She'll beat you first for trying to read her story, besides I'm still in a hospital bed, she won't hurt me, yet anyway."

"You're the one who gave me her password though."

"Lucky guess… I just know her so…" he trailed off yawning again. They were silent for a few moments as Max turned off the computer.

"You really love her, don't you?" When he didn't receive an answer he looked over to the bed and found Booth sound asleep. He smiled knowing the answer even though it was not said.

* * *

Brennan arrived on Booth's floor exactly three hours after she left. She felt more rested. She saw the doctor leaving Booth's room and became confused by the smile on his face. She went over to him. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Oh, Dr. Brennan, he just woke up a little while ago."

Her eyes lit up. "Yeah! How is he?"

"He's doing pretty well… already complaining how the only edible food here is the pudding." The doctor laughed.

"Typical," she mumbled going to open the door to the room, but she stopped when she heard her father and him talking.

"So…blown up by a fridge?" Brennan rolled her eyes. 'Great, I'm going to need to explain that to him,' she thought when she heard Booth's response of: "Yeah, your daughter's." She realized that she should call Rebecca. She stepped a few feet away from the door and dialed the phone. It rang a few times before going to voicemail.

"Hi Rebecca… It's Dr. Brennan… just letting you know Booth just woke up… um his doctor said he's doing well. I know you really don't want Parker near him for his safety, but it might be good for both of them. You've seen the security precautions we've taken… um… give me a call if you need to, I guess… bye." She also called Angela's office and left a similar message. She went back to the room and went to enter the room, but heard Max's final question of: "You really love her, don't you?" She walked into the room then so that Booth could avoid answering if he wanted to, but noticed he was already sound asleep. She also noticed that the doctor took him completely off the oxygen.

"You're back already?" Max asked her when he heard the door open and close.

"The agreement was three hours. It's been three hours."

"Oh… wow time really flew."

"It's impossible for time to fly."

"Just a saying."

"Oh… I ran into the doctor on my way into the room. He said Booth's already complaining about the non-edible food, which is a good thing for him."

"Yeah… now what's this I hear about your fridge blowing him up."

"It was in our first year of being partners. Someone shot at me, so Booth put me under lockdown because of his alpha male tendencies. He went to get a drink and it turned out that a bomb was in my fridge that was set to go off when the door was opened. If he hadn't been reaching for the glass at the same time he would have died."

"Oh…wow"

"Yeah… oh and after I spoke to his doctor just now, I called Rebecca and Angela to let them know that he's awake." She noticed her computer was not where she left it. "Why is my computer not where I left it?"

"Good and I got bored."

"You better not have looked at my book." She glared at him.

"It was password coded, so no I didn't read it, but did you know Booth knows your password."

"No he doesn't. I never gave it to him."

"He guessed… Jasper." Brennan turned bright red from the embarrassment.

"Still, you should not have looked at my book… You and Booth with your alpha male tendencies always bugging me about my book, trying to break into my computer to read it, trying…"

"Bones, quit ranting at the old guy. I already scared the shit out of him once today. He doesn't need to be ranted at to death in the same day," Booth said tiredly. Max, who had been sinking further and further down into his seat gave Booth a grateful look. He hadn't realized how terrifying his daughter could be when she got on one of her rants.

"Booth… you're awake… sorry, did I wake you?"

"No worries, Bones." He smiled tiredly at her. She noticed how weak he still looked.

"Sorry," she apologized again. "I also called Rebecca and Angela to let them know that you are finally awake."

"Yeah, how long was I out for anyway?"

"About six days, they had wanted to keep you sedated for awhile… now, what's this I hear about you knowing my password?" Booth smiled sheepishly at her.

"Face it, I know you, Bones. Daffodil, Daisy, Jupiter, Jasper."

"Yeah, you do… How'd you scare the shit out of a murderer anyway?"

"Hey, I was acquitted of that!"

"Yeah, but everyone in here knows you did it," Brennan told him. Booth nodded. "Booth, you really shouldn't be moving. You'll cause yourself more pain."

"I'm fine, Bones… Now back to your question. Max discovered your book was password protected and said 'damn password protected…Why'd I have to have such a genius daughter'. He hadn't realized I had woken up so when I told him to try Jasper, he jumped. Then he declared that he must be getting old to have not realized I was up." Max was red from embarrassment and slouching in his seat by the end of Booth's explanation, glaring at him.

"How are you feeling anyway?" Brennan asked him following the explanation, while glaring at her father for attempting to read her book.

"I'm fine, Bones." He saw that she was about to speak, so he quickly said, "Before you ask, no, I don't need anything and yes, I know that I was just blown up so I cannot possibly be 'fine'." He smiled at her. Max just laughed as she shut her mouth. "So, when can I get out of here?"

"Booth, you just woke up, you need to rest." She saw him yawn. "Besides, you can barely stay awake… sleep for awhile, I'm not going anywhere." She sat down on the chair by his bed and took his right hand gently, giving it a soft squeeze.

"Yeah… damn drugs," he said falling asleep. Brennan smiled slightly at his stubbornness.

"The morphine is definitely a good drug… keeps him from complaining about being here, which saves our eardrums," Max said laughing.

"It is impossible for him to do damage to our eardrums by complaining, but I actually know what you mean, last time he was blown up by my fridge he was quite vocal on waning to leave. He is never happy being stuck in the same spot for too long." She laughed also. "Once he becomes aware of the drip though he is going to demand to be taken off it. He absolutely hates it."

"So that's why the doc didn't mention it to him before?"

"Yes, this doctor has worked on Booth plenty of times in the past to know of his actual tolerance of pain and attitude toward the drip." They fell into silence.

* * *

Booth started waking up a few hours later. He heard voices, so he chose to pretend he was still asleep because he could tell they were talking about the case and knew they would stop if they knew he was awake. The voices were fairly quiet, so he had to listen carefully.

The first voice he heard was Cullen's, who he could tell was on his right from the direction his voice was coming from. "So, what you're saying is that the bomb was under the hood of his car?"

He heard Hodgins' answer coming from his left. "Yes… I won't get into all the details because Booth has made it quite clear in the past that 'normal people' really don't like that many details when the details are not in English and is in 'squint speak' instead." Booth hoped that he wasn't grinning about the way Hodgins said this. "Where I'm running into problems is with the components. I've never seen this type of combination before. It seems to be very powerful and high-tech though. I also know that it was remote activated, but we can't get a read on the signal at all."

"So, he was definitely trying to kill Booth?" Cullen asked.

"I believe so," Hodgins said.

"So, what's the plan now?" Max asked from Booth's right.

"I have no idea… He's in pretty bad shape, so he really can't be moved, but it's probably not safe for him to stay in one spot for him to stay in one spot for too long either. This guy's already gotten by security and crap…" Cullen trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

"He will need to stay here for awhile still, but as soon as he can be moved, without causing him pain, we could probably convince them to give us his prescriptions and such. Then he could stay with someone until he is more mobile," Brennan said. Booth did not like this idea and couldn't stop his eyes from flying open and speaking his mind.

"Yeah, and look what happened last time we all stayed together. He set the place on fire." Everyone jumped at the sound of his voice, except for Max, who realized that he had been awake and wanted information. Booth realized this and was grateful for not being ratted out. He glanced around the room and realized he was right about the locations of everyone, Cullen, Max, and Brennan were to his right, and Hodgins was to his left with Angela and Wendell.

Cullen cleared his throat. "So, how much did you hear?"

"From you asking about the location of the bomb and on." Brennan looked relieved, but he wasn't sure why. He was planning on finding out when the others left.

"How are you doing Agent Studly?" Angela asked trying to move the conversation away from what Brennan was informing them before the question of where the bomb was. She saw Booth turn red from embarrassment. Cullen laughed having never seen his agent so easily turn that red.

"Ange…" Hodgins said sarcastically scolding her, but noticeably humored by Booth's reaction.

"Red's a good color on you," Cullen said laughing, making Booth turn even redder.

"Um… can we get back to discussing the case?" Booth asked trying to get back to that problem.

"No, you are in no condition to be working this case," Cullen told him, turning serious.

"But, sir…"

"No buts, Booth, you were just blown up by your car! You almost died! You can hardly move! You are not killing yourself because you are too goddamned stubborn to rest!"

"I need to do something."

"Yeah, rest. Let us handle things for awhile," Cullen said softly. "I know you, and you'll be up in no time, whether you should be or not… Now, I have to head back to my office… Talk to you later, Booth." Cullen turned to leave the room.

"Sir," Booth called after him, making Cullen stop. "Just one question…"

"Fine," he said turning back around.

"Was the leak found yet?"

"We're still working on it." The new position Cullen was in allowed Booth to see the hanging drip.

"Why the hell do I have a drip? I don't need it," Booth said finally noticing it.

"Booth, you do need it. You have burns, lacerations, many broken bones, one of your ribs had punctured a lung…" Brennan told him, trailing off, not listing every injury of his.

"Bones, I'm fine, really."

"Fine, we'll at least talk to your doctor when he comes back."

"Ok."

Cullen noticed Brennan glaring at him for moving. "Well, I'm gonna head back to my office," he said to everyone. As he walked past Brennan he mumbled "Sorry" to her. She nodded lightly.

"Alright, now that Cullen has left, you can update me on the case."

"Sorry, Booth… Cullen's right, you need to be resting, not working on this case," Brennan told him.

"Bones, it's my fault he's out there right now. I would probably be the person most likely to figure out his next move." As he said this he looked over to Hodgins, Angela, and Wendell, looking for their support.

"We should head out now, Sweetie, see if Cam has anything at the lab for us," Angela told Brennan when she saw Booth look toward them for help. She didn't want to get between the two of them. She grabbed Hodgins and Wendell and dragged them to the door. "Get some rest and feel better soon, Booth," she called as they went through the door.

"Come on, Bones," Booth practically begged her.

Brennan sighed. "Look, it's getting late, but I'll make you a deal, Rebecca called while you were asleep, just before Hodgins explained where the bomb was. I wasn't planning on telling you because I wanted it to be a nice surprise for you, but I managed to convince her that security was tight enough here, and to bring Parker by after school tomorrow. If you spend from now until your son's visit tomorrow resting, so you have enough energy for him, and still have energy after he leaves, I will tell you the new information on the case. Do we have a deal?"

"Ok," he agreed knowing that this was the best deal he was going to get. The doctor came in shortly after to check on Booth's condition. He grudgingly removed the drip at Booth's persistence, and declared him able to be moved to a regular room, which they proceeded to do. Afterwards, Max spoke to his daughter.

"Tempe, you've been here practically all day again. Why don't you go grab some food from the cafeteria?" Booth saw she was about to argue.

"Bones, don't argue with him. I'll still be here when you get back, and you do need to eat." She nodded, giving in and leaving. Booth was shocked, but he figured she didn't want to argue with him and get him even tenser, so he decided to take the victory. "What's up, Max?" Booth asked, knowing that Brennan had left for three hours today to get some rest at her apartment. Booth figured Max had something to tell Booth that he didn't want Brennan to know.

"Look, Booth… I've—"

"I figured."

"Huh?"

"You're about to say you've done some digging into my past. I guessed that you had awhile ago."

"How?"

"Just the way you've phrased some things in the past, and the fact that I'm always around your daughter, and you're still extremely overprotective of who gets near her, at least still I started checking out her boyfriends myself, at least." Booth said with a slight chuckle, then turned more serious. "So, you know parts of my past…"

"Yes, which is why Tempe would make me a dead man, if she were to hear me now. I understand your need to be working on this case." Max proceeded to tell him about what they were discussing and other information about the case. "I'm guessing Tempe doesn't know everything, which is why she doesn't understand your need to be involved," he added when he was done.

"No… no one does. You probably don't know as much as you think either."

"Sorry."

"I've had a feeling for awhile that you knew more than you were letting on… just don't tell anyone."

"Ok." The two of them fell into silence, watching a football game on the TV. Brennan soon came back, rolled her eyes at the two of them enthralled with the game, not realizing she was back and promptly fell asleep in one of the chairs. Max and Booth soon followed into sleep, after the game was over.

* * *

Booth slept fairly late into the following day. It was almost 11:30AM when he woke up. He was surprised to notice that he slept through the early morning checks. Maybe the others were right with the amount of rest he needed, not that he would ever admit it. Max and Brennan were talking about her book. Max was comparing Booth to Andy, which was irritating Brennan, making her go on one of her rants about how Andy is a fictional character, not based off of Booth.

Booth laughed, watching them. "See, Bones, just admit it. Everyone knows Andy was based off of me." Before Brennan could give her retort, the door to the room burst open and a hysterical Rebecca came in.

"Parker's school just called. He isn't in school and I know I dropped him off this morning!..."

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 8, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!...**


	9. New Information

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_The door to the room burst open and a hysterical Rebecca came in._

_"Parker's school just called. He isn't in school and I know I dropped him off this morning!..."  
_

* * *

**Killing for Revenge**

**Chapter 9: New Information**

* * *

"What!" Booth shouted, shooting up in bed, wincing when his injuries greatly protested. Max got out of his chair to give it to Rebecca and help Booth adjust to relax into the pillows again.

"What happened?" Brennan asked her.

"I drove Parker to school this morning because I wasn't needed early in the office. I had decided to treat him by not taking the bus. He met up with some of his friends in the yard and I watched them walk into the building. The school just called me saying he was not in. I went down to the school, before coming here, just to make sure they didn't make a mistake… He wasn't in class… I don't have any ideas as to where he is… I saw him walk in." Rebecca was absolutely hysterical, and almost at the point of hyperventilation.

"Rebecca, breathe, we'll find him," Booth told her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Good. Now, do you know the friends Parker went in with?"

"Yes, Dan and Mike."

"Ok. Give me your phone." She handed it to him and Booth dialed the school. It took a couple of moments for an answer. "Yes, this is Agent Booth, Parker's father. His mother just informed me that even though he was dropped off this morning he is not there." He listened to their response. "I was told by Parker's mother that he went in with Dan Porter and Mike Baker. Are they in?" He listened to the response and was getting frustrated with their answer. "Look I need to know because of an FBI investigation dealing with young boys their age." Booth rolled his eyes. Brennan and Rebecca looked at him in confusion at his attitude. "They put me on hold." Max, Brennan, and Rebecca would have laughed, if the situation wasn't so serious. "Hello… Yes, I'm still here." He rolled his eyes again at how they asked if he was still on the phone. 'No, I'm gonna hang up when I have no idea where my son is. What are they morons?' he thought. He focused back in on the conversation and Booth paled. "Ok, thank you." Booth looked up at everyone hanging up the phone and giving it back to Rebecca. "All three of them aren't in."

"So, where are they?" Rebecca asked.

"You don't think…do you?" Brennan asked him.

"I wouldn't doubt it at this point…He really wants to get to me and he can't right now with me stuck in here with two agents at the door and you and Max always around. He's smart enough to know by showing up here, he'd be defeated. Can you go call everyone and get them to the lab, to see if we can find anything that didn't lead to the baseball field?"

"They will all be at the lab already, but I'll tell them to go over what we have."

"Ok, thanks. Can you also take Rebecca to the lab with you?" He quickly continued speaking, when he saw she was about to protest going to the lab. "We need everyone there, I'll be fine here. I still have three baby sitters here, you don't need to worry." She nodded, reluctantly. Booth turned to Rebecca. "We'll find him." She could only nod at this point as they both left the room. He waited until the door closed before turning to Max. "Max, I need your help."

"Sure, with what…"

Booth explained what he needed and Max's eyes sort of bulged.

"You sure?"

Booth nodded.

"Ok, but you're getting the ass kicking that will be coming from Tempe…"

* * *

**_Brennan's Car_**

Rebecca and Brennan were walking to the car as Brennan called Angela. Angela picked up after a few moments. "Ange, it's me. Is everyone at the lab?" She listened to the response. "Good make sure they stay there please. I'll explain when Rebecca and I get there." She hung up before Angela could respond. They reached the car and climbed in. Brennan started the car, and headed for the lab. Rebecca turned to her.

"Is he really ok?" Rebecca asked.

"Who?"

"Seeley. I saw him wince when he shot up in bed."

"He says he's ok, but I think that is really so he doesn't worry us. He is too stubborn for his own good."

"Yeah, but that's what makes him Seeley…Do you think Parker's ok."

"I don't know, but I do know, even from a hospital bed, Booth will do everything he can do to find him."

A thought just came to Rebecca. "You don't think he will do something stupid, do you?" she asked worried.

"Knowing Booth, something we think stupid has definitely crossed his mind," she said calmly.

"How are you so calm?"

"Because at least my dad is still there. He should be able to take control of the situation and keep Booth from doing something stupid."

"You sure?"

"No." The rest of the trip to the lab was in silence.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the lab and walked in. Brennan scanned her card up to the platform and motioned for Rebecca to follow her up. She noticed her entire team was up on the platform. They looked concerned.

"What's going on, Dr. Brennan?" Cam asked.

"Parker's missing again," Brennan told them. "We need to see if there is any evidence that we have that would not have been at that baseball field. Hodgins, can you go over the soil samples, bugs, and particulates again? Wendell, check the bones again, see if we missed anything in the injuries. Cam, can you just help wherever needed?" Cam and Hodgins nodded and moved to get to work. "Why don't you wait in my office, Rebecca. I'll let you know if we find anything."

After Rebecca left for the office Wendell turned to Brennan. "Are you sure you trust me to be doing this? I know how big this case is, and I'm only an intern."

"Yes, I trust you, and I know Booth does too." Wendell was stunned, coming from Brennan that was strong praise. Brennan's phone rang.

"Brennan," she answered. She listened to the voice on the other end. "Ok, thanks," she replied sounding pissed off and hanging up. She started storming down the steps of the platform. Angela followed.

"What's wrong, Sweetie?"

"My father is an ass, that's what's wrong!"

"What did he do, Bren?"

"He helped Booth break out of the hospital. I'm going to kill him…He knows that Booth should be in bed resting," Brennan ranted. "They aren't even using a wheelchair like he should be in if he was up at all at this point. They didn't even take crutches. He's going to reinjure himself more. Although they did just say that my dad tried to convince him of taking the wheelchair but it didn't really work."

"That was the doctor on the phone, I'm guessing."

"Yes. He said Booth broke out of the hospital again, only this time with my father's help instead of Hodgins. My father should know the damage this will redo to his breaks," she said climbing into the car. Angela climbed into the passenger seat. "What are you doing?"

"No way am I missing you kick your father's ass. Plus, Booth would have a fit if he knew you were going out alone…Where are we going, anyway?"

"I don't know. I figured we should check the baseball field and shed first." She started the car and they headed out to the field in silence.

* * *

**_The Shed_**

Max quickly made his way out of the driver's seat and over to the passenger's side to help Booth out of the car.

"Max, I'm ok," Booth told him, then groaned as his body protested trying to get out of the car.

"Sure you are…You're only lying to yourself, you know, no one else believes you, and you're letting me help you because Tempe is going to try to kill both of us as it is, so I want to be able to tell her that you were at least being supported. I'd like to make my beating a little less painful." Max took Booth's right arm, gently, and draped it around his shoulders to help pull him up and support him, since his left side was pretty useless with his arm bound to his body and leg in a brace that wouldn't let him bend his knee either. They slowly made their way to the field, Booth wincing with every step he took. Max took most of Booth's weight because he really couldn't use his left side at all. Max pretended not to notice the wincing or weakness for Booth's sake. As they got closer they noticed that they weren't the only ones there. Booth recognized Mark and figured the squints called him up while he was out cold in the hospital. Mark saw them approaching and walked over to them.

"Agent Booth, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you still be in the hospital?"

"Look, I don't have time to argue with you right now. My son and two of his friends are missing."

"What do you need?" he asked realizing that this was Booth's no negotiation tone that he was warned about. No way was he going to get Booth to leave until he got what he was looking for.

"We need to know if anything here will direct us to a new location. I have a strong feeling that something is up with the pictures he used."

"They're still on the wall. We sent pictures of the pictures to the Jeffersonian. We were afraid of ruining the photos by taking them down."

"I need to see them again."

"Ok." All three of them made their way slowly to the shed. They went into the room with the pictures. Booth went over to the wall with the pictures of the boys. He looked at the six of them more closely. He thought he saw little bumps on the one of his son, signaling something was written on the back.

"Hey Mark, can you get down the one of my son. I think there is something written on the back."

"Sure." He moved to one of the cases that was still there from collecting evidence, put on a glove, and took out an evidence bag. He went over to the wall and carefully removed the picture from the wall. He placed it in the bag and turned it over. "All it says is 'D'." He showed it to Booth.

"I have a feeling we are going to find more letters on the back of the others. Call the Jeffersonian, Mark. We need the team here."

"Why don't you call them? They know you better and are more likely to come quicker therefore."

"Because they will be pissed if they find out I broke out of the hospital."

"Ok." Mark left the room to make the call.

"You doing ok, Booth?"

"Fine, Max. Just worried for Parker and his friends." Max nodded.

"Do you want to sit?"

"I'm still good standing I think, if you don't mind lending the support." Max nodded again as Mark came back in.

"Your team is on the way, but I was told by Dr. Saroyan to warn you that the hospital has already called Dr. Brennan to inform her that you broke out again. Both she and Ms. Montenegro have been looking for you, and it sounds like Dr. Brennan was royally pissed. "

"Shit, she's gonna kill us both," Max said looking at Booth. Then, they heard a loud voice in the distance, getting closer.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?" They cringed when they recognized the voice as Brennan's.

"Shit, she really is pissed…You think you'll be able to get her off murder charges too," Max whispered to Booth.

"Not if I'm dead too…"

"Touché…Nice knowing you, Booth."

"Yeah." Brennan came barging in, fury in her eyes and Angela closely behind her. Angela looked terrified. She mouthed "good luck" to them. Brennan marched over to them.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU IDIOTS THINKING!" she shouted at them. They both cringed.

"Tempe, it's his son, give him a break."

"Bones, I have to find him. I need to be doing something. I can't just stay in the hospital doing nothing. The rest of the team is on their way here too, by the way."

"You should be in a wheelchair at the minimum… What? Why?"

"I can't do anything from a bed or wheelchair you know that. I need to do something to find him and I listened to my gut." He smiled at her. At her glare, he sighed and continued. "I had a feeling we were missing something here, so I convinced Max to drive me down here and give me a hand. I wanted to take a look at the way the pictures were placed and in person. I was looking closely at them to see if anything stood out, when I noticed that on the one of my son it looked like something was written on the back from the raised bumps. Mark removed it from the wall carefully. Yes, he obeyed protocol and we found something." Mark handed her the photo, with the letter face up. "I have a feeling we'll find more letters on other pictures."

"Ok, fine, but you should still be in the hospital."

"Bones, you know I wouldn't be resting with Parker missing anyway."

She sighed. "Yeah, I know. Just don't overdo it, and at least sit down somewhere." She turned to Mark. "You think you can get a chair for him or something?"

"I'll see what I can do," Mark said leaving the room. A couple minutes later, he came back with a folding lawn chair. "Sorry, best I could get." He opened the chair once he got farther away from the walls, and away from what could be used as evidence.

"Better than nothing," Brennan said, helping her father support Booth to get him in the chair. She saw him wince a few times. "Did you at least take your painkillers?"

"No. You remember the Christmas we were in quarantine…I was so stoned. Need a clear head to work." She rolled her eyes with a small smile remembering that Christmas. "And then there was the time I was on Vicodin for my back. You should remember that one." She shook her head with the smile still in place. She turned to Angela.

"Ange, can you stay here with these two imbeciles. I really don't trust either of them not to do something moronic again." She sent a glare in their direction. "I'll wait outside for the others."

"Ok, Sweetie." Brennan left the room. Angela turned to Booth. "You are in sooo much trouble. I have never seen her that furious before, and if you thought that was bad, you should have seen her in the car. I swear smoke was coming out of her ears." Angela said smiling at him. He didn't like that look at all.

"She was really that bad?"

"Let's just say it isn't luck that you're still alive. It's a damn miracle."

"Do I want to know why you were in quarantine on Christmas, or why you were on vicodin?" Max asked since he hadn't heard these stories from his sources.

"Zack cut into a bone that was contaminated with valley fever, while Hodgins was drinking an eggnog. We all had to be injected with some anti-fungal thingy. They told us possible side effects of the drug…" Booth started.

"They said in a few cases: hallucinations, dream-like state, etc…" Angela continued.

"Yeah, I lucked out with those, but then again I've always had a low tolerance for drugs."

"Hodgins was so jealous of your reaction. Goodman also told us of your conversation with him about the 'dancing little lights'," Angela said laughing. "And the vicodin was from when your daughter almost broke him in half, trying to fix his back."

"I was so stoned," Booth laughed lightly, but stopped quickly from the twinge in his ribs. Angela saw him wince.

"You ok."

"Fine…just note to self: no making myself laugh for awhile." He smiled lightly.

"Seeing you stoned that bad is something I would pay to see, Booth," Max told him laughing.

"Sorry, not really planning on taking the medications anytime soon. Hell, I'm pretty sure the hospital has even given up on writing the scripts for me, since they know I never really get them filled. I think the one from me being shot recently is still folded in one of my pants pockets somewhere." Angela rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"That Christmas was pretty funny though. 'I never realized how pretty all this shiny stuff is'," she said trying to mimic him. Max laughed even harder.

"Don't forget the 'friendly furniture'," Booth said smiling. Max and Angela laughed.

Brennan walked in with Hodgins and Cam. "Wendell stayed at the lab to continue processing evidence," Cam explained. "What the hell are you doing out of the hospital?" she asked noticing Booth.

"Trying to find my son again…Now, there is a letter on the back of the picture of him. I need you guys to see if there are any more letters on any of the other pictures."

"Ok…let's get to work, Hodgins. Be careful that the pictures don't tear. They aren't in the best shape, which is why they weren't removed in the first place." Both of them got to work along with Brennan.

They worked steadily for a few hours, being careful not to tear any of the photos. They put all of the photos with a letter in one pile, and the ones without in a second pile. There were thirteen photos with a letter. Angela walked over to the group, when they were finished, and noticed that each photo was a different person. She didn't know if this was significant, but she figured she should mention it to Booth. She wrote the letters on a piece of paper and went back over to Booth. She decided to tell him the information fast, seeing how tired he looked.

"There were thirteen letters, each on the back of a different person. We have two E's, F's, N's, and R's and one D, I, O, T, and U. When I get back to the lab I'll run it through the computer and see if it comes up with anything." Booth nodded.

"Ok, let's head to the lab," Booth said attempting to stand.

"No, you should be on your way back to the hospital," Brennan told him while walking over to them.

"Fine, but after we find Parker." Brennan opened her mouth to argue, but Max cut her off.

"Don't bother, Tempe. You'll lose this argument with him. Be happy that he is agreeing to go back after we find Parker."

"Fine, but you're staying on the couch in my office while we run the evidence." She helped him to stand, since his body stiffened from staying on that chair for so long. Max then came over and took most of his weight again. Cam and Hodgins had already left for the lab with the photos without the letters to get particulate evidence from them. Angela, Max, Brennan, and Booth started heading slowly to the two remaining cars. Angela turned to Brennan.

"You take Booth and the remaining photos. I'll head back to the lab with your dad this time."

"You sure?"

"Sweetie, I love you, but I don't think I ever want to be in a car with you as the driver again."

"I'm a very good driver."

"Not when you're pissed off…See you at the lab, Sweetie…Good luck Booth," Angela said as they reached the cars and took off for the lab.

* * *

**_The Lab_**

Both cars got there at pretty much the same time. Brennan got out of her car and handed the photos to Angela.

"Ange, can you start running these letters through the computer, and dad will you keep an eye on Booth in my office so that we make sure he stays resting. Rebecca will be in there too so you can't give in to him again." They both nodded and went inside with the photos. Brennan noticed Booth didn't follow her out of the car and turned around. He was sound asleep. She rolled her eyes, knowing he was completely exhausted, but would not admit it. She opened the passenger door and placed her hand on his right knee. "Booth, wake up." He blinked a few times to clear the sleep from his eyes.

"Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep on the way back."

"It's fine. You should still be in bed resting anyway. Come on, let's at least get you onto my couch. Angela and my dad already went in with the letters." Booth nodded, and she helped him out of the car. She also ended up supporting most of his weight which was not that easy for her with the difference in their sizes. They walked slowly toward her office, and when Rebecca noticed them, she rose from the couch. Brennan helped Booth to lie on the couch.

"What the hell happened?" Rebecca asked.

"Apparently I misjudged my father's and his stupidity. My father helped him break out of the hospital. Where is he anyway? I told him to wait in here."

"He stopped by and said you'd ask. Angela needed help bringing things to her office, so he said he'd be right back." Max walked into the room.

"Talking about me?..."

"Good you're back. I'm heading onto the platform to help. Make sure Booth stays on the couch. If he needs to ask us or tell us something, you bring us the message and we'll come here," Brennan said, then left the room.

"What the hell were you idiots thinking?" Rebecca asked them, glaring.

"I was thinking our son was missing and since you actually had the decency to tell me this time, I had to help in some way. I wouldn't be resting there anyway, you know that."

"Yeah, ok." They were all quiet for some time, lost in thoughts.

"Hey, Max?" Booth asked.

"What's up?"

"Can you get Angela in here with the pictures? I might have just come up with an idea that may make putting the letters in order easier."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right back with her." He left the room

"What are you thinking?"

"Let's wait till Angela gets here, so I only have to explain it once."

"Ok." They fell into silence. A couple moments later Angela and Max came back in.

"Hey, Booth. I typed in the letters and they are still running, but Max tells me you have an idea that may make things easier."

"Yeah, I was thinking that Raddick was numbering the boys as he killed them so…"

"You were thinking that we should put the boys in the order they were taken and see if it starts to create a word or words," Angela said realizing his thoughts.

"It's a long shot, but yeah." Angela took out the pictures that she had brought with her, just in case, and laid them on the table in front of the couch so that Booth could see them too. She put the boys in order of their kidnapping. She then flipped each one over.

"F…R…I…E…N…D…Friend…Oh my god. This makes things a lot easier. We have seven letters left now. Let me go run those through the computer, and now that we have the first word it will give us less possible choices so I should have a result soon." She left the room with the pictures.

"Good thinking, Booth," Max told him.

"Do you think this will allow us to find our son and his two friends quicker?"

"I don't know. I'm guessing that this message has to do with the accomplice that was in the car with him so… Do you have the other boys' parents' phone numbers in your cell?"

"Yes…Why?"

"Good, call them and get them over here because when we find them someone should be there for them. Find out exactly who is coming so we can clear it with security."

"Ok." She went just outside the door to make the two calls. She came back a few minutes later. "Both of their mothers are on their way. Unfortunately, their fathers couldn't get out of work: pain in the ass bosses."

"Ok. Max would you mind going to security and informing them that an Alice Porter and a Cindy Baker will be arriving soon, and ask them to bring them up to Bones' office."

"Sure." Max left the room.

"Just to warn you, they have questions for you," Rebecca warned him.

"Yeah, I figured." Both of them fell silent and a few minutes later Max came back. They sat in silence. About ten minutes later the mothers were escorted into the office.

"Glad you could both make it over here," Booth told them. They both looked confused. He clarified. "I'm fairly certain both of your sons were taken with Parker."

"Wait, Parker is missing too?" Alice asked.

"Yes, and he was taken by this man before. Unfortunately, I was not able to fully get him then. Right now we are trying to crack a message he left for us, see if that will give us the location he is at with them now. We at least know who one of the men involved in this is."

"So what do our sons have to do with this?" "Why the hell aren't you doing anything about him now; why are you just lying on your ass?" The mothers spoke at the same time. Booth wasn't sure who asked what, but didn't really care either. Before he could answer though Max jumped in.

"Give the guy a break. He was just blown up a few days ago and is still supposed to be in the hospital. He needs to be resting while we wait for the rest of the team to crack the code and come up with a lead to find your sons. He should still be in bed or a wheelchair at the minimum, but he's more worried about finding your sons and his than taking care of himself," Max said, finding he already didn't like these women.

"Max, relax. They're just stressed. Their kids are missing. Give them a break…Why don't you go see if your daughter needs help with anything," Booth said trying to defuse the tension that was just created.

"Ok." Max left the room. Booth looked over to the other two mothers.

"To answer your questions, I don't think your sons had anything to do with this. I know that he wanted Parker, and am fairly sure that your sons were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were probably taken just so that they couldn't say anything." Angela, Brennan, and Max came into the room.

"They have information," Max told Booth. Brennan moved over to Booth.

"You still doing ok?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah. Thanks, Bones," he said quietly. He spoke to Angela next. "So what did you get?"

"Well, with the remaining letters of E, F, N, O, R, T, and U, we had a couple of options come up. There was really only one that made sense though, and that was 'turn foe'. Bren also figured based on your theory of putting the boys in number order that the people on the next letters are going to be targeted in that order. Turning them over, we have myself, Jack, Sweets, Wendell, Cam, Brennan, and you."

"Ok, that at least means he's getting sloppy and going out of order because Parker is still alive and he shot at you, me and Bones, and set Hodgins' home on fire between the rooms Wendell and Sweets were in. He also blew me up. He just hasn't gone for Cam yet. He either really doesn't care if he kills or doesn't or he's getting sloppy. Personally, I hope it's the first one because hopefully there won't be any more deaths. Based on the order of the names though, Angela, you were the target of the shooting and I'm the main target, but we knew that last part already… 'Friend turn foe'… any idea what that means and will it give us a possible location?"

"I was thinking that this refers to the accomplice in the car. I'm thinking he's a friend who changed sides secretly. If we can figure out who it is we may be able to figure out a location for them," Angela told him.

"So basically we're at a dead end for now?" Booth questioned.

"Yeah, sorry Booth," Angela told him. Booth sighed. Just then, his cell phone started to ring.

"Good thing I keep my cell on my right side, cause otherwise I wouldn't have a cell right now," he joked, getting his phone out of his pocket with some difficulty. He answered, "Booth." He quickly moved the phone away from his ear. Brennan heard Cullen's voice. He was busy yelling at Booth for breaking out of the hospital again. When he got quieter Booth moved the phone back to his ear, so everyone only heard his side of the conversation. "Yes sir, I'm aware it wasn't one of my smarter ideas, but I had to… How the hell did they miss that?... We have a new message from the photos at the shed, also. There were letters on the back of some. We came up with 'Friend turn foe'… That's what I was thinking… Yeah well, they better hope things go ok because we have three missing boys now." Booth hung up, not wanting to give away to much. He was pissed.

"What was that about?" Brennan asked, noticing he sounded pissed.

"I think I know who the accomplice is…"

* * *

**_An Unknown Location_**

There were two men sitting on chairs that were in one of the corners of the room. There were three lumps huddled in the opposite corner. It was a fairly dark room.

"Any ideas for the boys, I'm getting tired of the standard?" the first man asked motioning to the lumps on the floor. The boys were unconscious.

"I may have a few ideas from stuff I was arrested for. And if Booth still can't figure out who I am, he should not be an agent, let alone considered the best," the second man said smiling.

"Let's hear it." Before the second man could speak, someone came in. Both men trained their guns on him. When they saw who it was Raddick lowered his a little, and smiled when he saw who it was.

"So, have you decided whether or not to join us?" Raddick asked.

"Yes, I have," the newcomer said.

"And?"

"I'm in."

"Excellent," Raddick said as they lowered their guns fully.

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 9, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... also you've just finished chapter 9 so that means that there is 11 chapters left plus an epilogue... I won't have access to a computer or internet July 10 or July 17... the chapter scheduled to be posted on the 3rd as of now is chapter 13... so if you want the story to be completed send in more reviews... get me 10 reviews on the chapter and I won't make you wait until the following Sunday... I'll post as soon as I see the 10 count and have a chance to get on the computer but that doesn't mean you don't have to not review after 10 because if you get me 20 on one chapter before I have a chance to get on the computer I'll post the next chapter and then a few hours later I'll try to get on a computer again to post the following chapter a few hours later otherwise latest the following day... so your choice on how fast it gets updated and if you'll have a 2 week break between chapters in July...**


	10. A Confrontation and New Findings

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_There were two men sitting on chairs that were in one of the corners of the room. There were three lumps huddled in the opposite corner. It was a fairly dark room._

_"Any ideas for the boys, I'm getting tired of the standard?" the first man asked motioning to the lumps on the floor. The boys were unconscious._

_"I may have a few ideas from stuff I was arrested for. And if Booth still can't figure out who I am, he should not be an agent, let alone considered the best," the second man said smiling._

_"Let's hear it." Before the second man could speak, someone came in. Both men trained their guns on him. When they saw who it was Raddick lowered his a little, and smiled when he saw who it was._

_"So, have you decided whether or not to join us?" Raddick asked._

_"Yes, I have," the newcomer said._

_"And?"_

_"I'm in."_

_"Excellent," Raddick said as they lowered their guns fully.  
____  
_

* * *

**Killing for Revenge**

**Chapter 10: A Confrontation and New Findings**

* * *

"Now, what is this idea of yours?" Raddick asked.

"Dogs, then gouge their eyes out with a key."

"Interesting…different, I like it."

"I'd say you could thank a guy named Hollings, but he's not around anymore."

"How do we get the dogs?" the newcomer asked. He sounded different from the other two, almost as if he really didn't want to be doing this.

"Well, they don't know your involvement so you can go and buy food to lure strays here. Now do either of you have a key?" The newcomer could see Raddick eyeing his pocket and reluctantly handed them over. Good now go get the dogs here and quickly. The newcomer left.

* * *

**_The Lab_**

"Are you sure it's him?" Brennan asked.

"Fairly sure. He broke out a few weeks before all of this started, which would give them enough time to plan everything, and they didn't necessarily need two people to stalk everyone. It makes sense. They also believe that the person who took his place is a relative of Raddick's because he looks similar."

"Why don't we go question him?" Brennan asked.

"Can't. It was only discovered because he killed himself and the fake skin mask was starting to come off. They're trying to figure out how he got the knife and how he got in. He's never had visitors or anything. They're looking for a possible breach in security. And now we're out of leads for finding the boys since all of his property was FBI owned and taken when he went to jail." Booth saw the look on Brennan's face. "What you thinking. Bones?"

"You don't think he'd be stupid enough to use the warehouse he held me in, do you?"

"I wouldn't put anything past them at this point. You're a genius. That's got to be where they are because Raddick's made it clear he wants to torture me anyway possible," Booth said attempting to lift himself off the couch. He swung his legs over the side and put most of his weight on his good leg. He made his way over to the door. Brennan was closely following in case he needed help. She realized though he was getting a stronger adrenaline rush now that they were possibly locating Parker so he wouldn't really take the help. "Hodgins," he shouted. Hodgins came hurrying over.

"Yeah, what do you need?" he asked Booth, who propped himself up in the doorway.

"Do you remember the way to that warehouse Kenton held Bones in?" Hodgins paled slightly at that question, remembering that day vividly.

"Ye-yes, Wh-why?" he stammered.

"Good, I need a ride there, now. We're not all going to fit in your car, so me, Max, and you will be in your car. Bones, can you drive the mothers down? They should be there when we find the kids."

"Ok, but Booth, you really shouldn't be going in. You can barely stand."

"Funny, that's what they told him last time and he still went in. Next thing I knew though I was being dragged in behind him," Hodgins said, still a little pale.

"Let's head out. I'll call in for backup on the way there," Booth said making his way out of the room. The others followed him to the two cars. Hodgins happened to be parked near Brennan that day, so the large group went to the cars together. Booth wasn't thrilled when he saw what car Hodgins drove today. "Why did you have to drive the toy car today?" Booth complained.

"Hey, if I knew you would break out of the hospital again today, and demand a high speed chase, I would have been more considerate," Hodgins told him sarcastically. Booth just glared at him.

"Make sure you keep up with us, Bones." Booth climbed into the front seat after Max got into the tiny back. Hodgins got in and they quickly took off for the warehouse. Booth was already on the phone, calling in for backup. After awhile he hung up. "They're sending Mark, Pat, and Adam. They're meeting us there."

"That's all they're sending?" Max asked.

"Yeah, that's all they can spare right now. We can manage though. If we sent in too many people, they might get spooked, so it may be for the best. We need to play it carefully." Booth then groaned as Hodgins hit another pothole. "Hodgins, you really need to get a normal sized car… Can't this thing go faster?" Hodgins hit the accelerator a little harder. The rest of the drive was made in silence, except for the occasional grunt of pain from Booth.

* * *

**_The Warehouse_**

Both cars pulled up silently in front of the warehouse. Everyone climbed out of the cars and Booth went to lean on the hood of Hodgins' car. As he got his gun ready, Brennan approached him. They both then heard dogs barking.

"At least we know we're in the right place and that Kenton is here," Booth said.

"How do you know this by just hearing barking dogs?" Brennan asked.

"I really don't think Raddick is creative enough to come up with using dogs. I think Kenton would have had to suggest it. Raddick had been using standard forms of torture, like beating and cutting, followed by a gun so…"

"So, you're thinking the dogs are a little too different."

"Yes." Just then the three agents pulled up in another car with an ambulance behind them.

"We figured just in case…" Mark explained trailing off. Booth nodded.

"Ok, so we are fairly sure there are three boys, Kenton, and Raddick inside. Kenton we believe is Raddick's accomplice," Booth explained to the new agents, going into agent mode and forgetting his pain for awhile. "I'll lead because I've been in this warehouse before, and have an idea of the layout. Mark, Max, and Pat, you three behind me." Brennan opened her mouth to argue with him, but he cut her off. "Bones, I need you and Adam out here to keep the others safe and to stop the two of them if they get out." She realized he was manipulating her to stay where it was safe, but nodded to humor him.

"Just be careful," she told him.

"I'll try." He turned to the agents and Max. "Ready?" he asked. They nodded and the four of them made their way to the entrance and went in.

"Damn," Adam said.

"What?" Brennan asked.

"I heard rumors about how stubborn and good at his job he is, but I didn't really believe all of them. I see why no one is willing to challenge him…other than you anyway."

"That's just part of what makes him Booth."

* * *

**_Inside the Ware_****_house_**

Booth had realized when they walked in that there were more crates than the last time they were there. He signaled for the others to stay quiet and be careful. He had his gun partially raised, in his right hand, ready if needed. He heard the dogs barking from the same direction as the last time, and started heading that way. The four of them were weaving in and out of the rows of crates. With the adrenaline rush he was experiencing, Booth managed to get fairly far ahead of the others. He rounded a corner, and missed the shadow on the other side of the crates. He took a few steps forward, and was caught off guard when Kenton jumped out from behind the crates with a metal pipe. He hit Booth across the back with the pipe before Booth could react. He collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.

The others heard Booth's groan and sped up around the corner. Mark and Pat raised their guns as they were rounding the corner, with Max following. They saw Booth on the ground, and Kenton getting ready to strike again. They both quickly fired their guns. Mark hit Kenton in the wrist holding the pipe, causing him to drop the pipe. Pat hit him in the knee, so he couldn't run. Both Kenton and the pipe landed on Booth. Booth groaned loudly. Max quickly went and removed Kenton and the pipe from being on top of Booth, throwing him to the side. Pat went over to cuff Kenton, as Max knelt next to Booth.

"You ok, Booth?" Max asked, gently placing his hand on Booth's back. Booth winced at even that minimal contact. Max caught it, and quickly removed his hand.

Booth tried to get up and pain shot down his spine. He groaned as his body threatened to send him into unconsciousness. "Find the boys," he groaned.

"You heard him," Max said to the agents. "I'll wait here with these two. I suggest you bring the boys out a different way. They don't need to see Kenton again. You should lookout for Raddick, too. When you get the boys out to their moms, you should get the paramedics to come in with stretchers." Mark and Pat nodded, going in search of the boys and Raddick.

"You don't really think he was stupid enough for all three of us to stay here, do you?" Kenton asked, after the two agents left. He was attempting to sit up, from where he was thrown, with his hands cuffed behind his back.

"What do you mean by three?" Booth asked teeth gritted together.

"I'm not his only accomplice. There's another. They both left awhile ago, left me to deal with you and the boys."

"Who is it?" Max asked, as Booth struggled to focus.

"Not saying…I'm going back to jail anyway, no point in me ratting him out, too. You'd find him to easy." Kenton was really pissing Max off now, so he picked the pipe up and smacked him over the head with it, knocking him unconscious. Max noticed Booth attempting to glare at him.

"What?... He was pissing me off and it's not like he was giving us anything else useful…I only knocked him out; it's not like I killed him, too." Booth rolled his eyes, and finally gave in to the darkness. "Great, alone with two unconscious bodies," Max mumbled to himself.

* * *

**_Farther Inside the Warehouse_**

Mark and Pat were carefully making their way to the area the barking was coming from. They eventually found their way to the room, and instantly noticed the dogs were chained to the wall farthest from the boys, who were shaking in fear. Raddick was nowhere in sight.

"Looks like Raddick abandoned Kenton," Mark said to Pat, quietly. "Cover me, just in case." Pat nodded. Mark started moving closer to the boys, slowly, as to not scare them even more. As he got closer, he spoke softly to them. "Hey boys, you're ok now. I'm FBI. You're moms are outside waiting for you." Mark noticed that they were thankfully unharmed. The boys looked up. Parker recognized Mark from the hospital and house, and quickly went to him. The other two boys, trusting their friend, followed. Mark crouched down to their level and continued to speak to them. "Come on let's get you to your moms." Mark stood up and started leading them to the exit, with Pat following.

* * *

**_Outside the Warehouse_**

Adam and Brennan managed to convince the three mothers to stay in the car until the boys came out. Hodgins went into the car with them. Brennan and Adam stood in front of the car, eyes on the entrance to the warehouse.

"Shouldn't they be out by now?" Brennan asked.

"I thought so…They must have run into something giving them problems. They should be out soon."

Just then they saw Mark, Pat, and the three boys come out of the warehouse. The mothers quickly got out of the car and the boys ran to them, receiving hugs from them that were making it hard for them to breathe. Hodgins got out of the car following the mothers. Pat went over to talk to the paramedics and Mark went over to Adam and Brennan.

"Where's Booth and my dad?"

"Still inside. Kenton snuck up on Booth and hit him with a pipe across the back. Afterward, Pat and myself shot him in the knee and arm, so he couldn't attack again, but both him and the pipe landed on Booths back. Booth couldn't really move after that, so Pat's talking to the paramedics to send in two stretchers."

"Is he ok?"

"When he ordered us to continue to search for the boys, he was fighting to stay conscience. I really don't think that much more damage was done, though. He will probably just be more sore."

"I told him to stay at the hospital, and this is exactly why. What about my dad?"

"He's fine, stayed with Booth though to keep an eye on him and Kenton."

"What about Raddick?" Brennan asked. Mark shook his head.

"Wasn't inside…we're guessing he bailed on Kenton."

"What about the boys?"

"They were all physically unharmed. They were terrified, but they should be ok."

"Good." Brennan saw her dad walking over to them. "Dad? I thought you were with Booth."

"I was. Paramedics came in and looked him over quickly. Booth's going to have a decent bruise across his back, but they don't think it did any more damage to his other injuries. He passed out shortly before they came in, but they think that that was more due to losing the adrenaline rush and previous injuries. They are taking him back to the hospital, so we don't have to argue with him to get him back to the hospital. They are going to run x-rays though once they get back, just to make sure." Max explained. Brennan noticed the two stretchers being loaded into the ambulance and nodded at her father.

"But he's ok?"

"Yes."

"Kenton?"

"He won't be walking for awhile, and they think I might have given him a concussion…"

"Dad!"

"What, he was pissing me off. He did, however, say that there is a third accomplice, too. Wouldn't say who though, which is when I hit him."

"And they are definitely running more x-rays on Booth?"

"Yes. Don't worry, they'll take care of him."

"I'm not worried." Max just looked at her, but let it go.

"We should get everyone back to the lab, to pick up their cars," Mark spoke up as the ambulance pulled away. "Can both you and Hodgins take care of that? Myself and the other agents need to get to the hospital to handle security and crap. We'll call Cullen, too."

"Sure," Brennan told him. "Just when Booth wakes up make sure he knows his son and the boys are safe. He'll be worried."

"Not a problem. We're gonna head over now. I'll have them put three agents on Kenton's door and two on Booth's."

"Yes, I'll be heading over after I drop them off at the lab anyway so anymore agents would be pointless."

"Um…yeah," Mark said as Adam walked off to collect Pat and head to the hospital, calling Cullen as he went to inform him of the situation, and to get a team here to collect evidence.

Brennan turned to the women as the agents pulled away in their car. "Come on; let's get the six of you back to the lab… Rebecca, would you and Parker mind going back with Hodgins and my dad. There isn't really room for seven in my car?"

"That's fine, but is there really room for four in that tiny thing?" Rebecca had seen Booth get loaded into the ambulance and was a little concerned, but didn't want to say anything in front of Parker, who was still clinging to her. Max laughed at her comment.

"It will be a tight fit, but Parker's still little," he said ruffling the boy's hair. He looked up at Max and Max smiled at him.

"Parks, why don't you go over to Dr. Hodgins for a few minutes? I'm sure he can tell you anything you want to know about those bugs you like so much. I'll be there in a few minutes, I just need to talk to Dr. Brennan quickly." Parker nodded and took off for the bug man, who was back at his car. Hodgins kept the boy occupied while Rebecca talked to Brennan. "I saw Seeley being loaded. Is he ok?"

"He'll be fine. He was hit with a pipe when they went in, but they don't think any more damage was done. They decided to save us from arguing with him to get him back to the hospital," Max told her. Rebecca nodded.

"Come on, let's get all of you back to the lab," Brennan said. Everyone piled into the cars and left for the lab.

* * *

**_The Lab_**

Angela and Cam were outside the lab, taking a break from working. Wendell was still inside. They weren't really sure where Sweets ran off to, but they were certain he would turn up at some point. They saw the two cars pull up.

"Sweetie!" Angela screamed, as everyone got out of the cars, hugging her. "You found them!" She exclaimed finally seeing the boys. "What happened? Is everyone ok? Tell me everything," she spoke quickly, her words running into each other.

"Ange, calm down. The boys are fine. I'll fill you in on everything else, with the rest of the team, later." Wendell came out, hearing all of the commotion.

"What's going on?" he asked Cam.

"Dr. Brennan just got back with the boys." Wendell nodded, scanning the crowd.

"Where's Booth?" he asked, noticing the agent was missing.

Brennan heard him, even though she was a decent distance away, and responded, "Back at the hospital, where he should have never left, along with Kenton."

"Kenton?" Wendell asked.

"Yes, I'll explain later. For now let's get them to their cars, so that they can go home and relax." Brennan brought the three mothers and their children to their respective cars in the lot. The Porter's and Baker's left fairly quickly. As Parker was getting into the car, Rebecca turned to Brennan.

"If you or anyone else head to the hospital to see Seeley today, can you let him know that I'll bring Parker by tomorrow to see him."

"I thought you weren't letting him see Parker anymore due to the danger."

"How did you know about that?"

"It wasn't that hard to figure out really. He looked more upset than normal as you and Parker left the lab, so I made the connection and Booth confirmed it. You also didn't say anything about changing your mind last time."

"Oh…yeah…ok…I've realized that taking them away from each other really didn't help so… Will you tell him?"

Brennan thought for a moment, then smiled lightly. "No, I'll let you guys surprise him tomorrow, this way he might still be able to rest somewhat today. He's being told that the boys are ok when he wakes up, so I really think it's best we leave it as a surprise."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow than. Bye." Rebecca climbed into the car and drove off.

Brennan turned back to the team, who had followed her. "Let's go in and I will fill you in, we have more problems," she told them. No one commented, knowing that she would explain only once they were inside.

"Dr. B., I also finished matching the injuries on the bones to the baseball bats while you were at the warehouse," Wendell told her.

"Excellent work. What did you find?"

"The first three bodies were able to be matched to one bat each. The last two however were beaten with two bats of different circumferences each."

"Suggesting?"

"He was getting more violent."

"Excellent work. If you would like there is not much more we can do today, so you can take the rest of the day off."

"Thanks. I think I will. There were other things I was supposed to do today too, so now I'll have the time," Wendell said leaving as the others went into the lab and Brennan's office. After they seated themselves in her office, she told them about what Kenton had said. When she finished, they just looked at her.

* * *

**_The Hospital_**

The staff at the hospital decided to make things easier for the FBI and put Kenton and Booth in rooms next to each other so the five agents were right outside both rooms. Cullen was walking down the hall toward them. He stopped in front of the first room and Mark.

"Booth's room?"

"Yes sir."

Cullen nodded. "Update?"

"Pipe and Kenton didn't really do any new damage to Booth. He's just going to have a larger bruise and will be a little more sore for awhile. He surprisingly didn't do any additional damage to his injuries from before. He woke up a little while ago, so we also informed him that the boys are ok. Kenton had the two bullet holes taken care of and also has a minor concussion." Cullen nodded again and turned the handle of Booth's room.

Booth was watching a basketball game on the TV, but turned his head when he heard the door open. "Sir?" he asked attempting to sit up a little farther as to appear not as injured as he was.

"Relax Booth." Booth slouched back in the bed a little, turning his attention from the game to Cullen, who sat in the seat by the bed.

"What do you need, sir?"

"Well first thing I need is to stop getting calls telling me you broke out of the hospital again and for you to actually let yourself heal." Cullen told him sternly, but with a slight smile, rolling his eyes.

"You know I wasn't just going to sit here with my son in danger."

"Yeah well, we can help. You don't need to do everything alone."

"What else did you need?"

"Just your account of the events." Booth proceeded to tell him everything that happened from when they got to the warehouse.

"It sounds like we know who this second accomplice is as well from how Kenton was talking," Booth added when he was finished telling Cullen the events of the warehouse.

"Someone on the inside?" Cullen asked.

"I'm fairly sure he at least used to be FBI, might still be but I don't know. From what Kenton said it sounds like if we know who it is we know who it is we'd know where to find him easily."

"Ok, we'll get to work on the information we have. Don't worry, we'll nail the bastard. Try to get some rest, so we can get you back at work soon."

"Yes sir," Booth said smiling lightly, then he added, "You know I can still work from here, right." He was trying to charm his way into being allowed to work.

"Ha ha, nice try, Booth…not happening. How's Parker by the way?"

"Ok, as far as I know. Right now his mother is somewhat pissed with me and not letting me see him, but she's not returning my calls from here, so I just have to hope no news is good news."

"Yeah. Well I have to be heading out. I got paperwork to do," Cullen said, rolling his eyes and standing to leave.

"Have fun sir," Booth told him grinning slightly at his boss's expense. At this point Wendell opened the door. Booth looked over and instantly focused his attention on the squint, as Cullen left the room. "What's up? Is everyone ok?" he asked quickly, sitting up getting ready to jump up if someone was in trouble.

"Yeah, everyone's fine. They're at the lab going over stuff I found and that they didn't need me anymore for. Dr. B. said she'll stop by later, when she's done." Booth relaxed a little at the message. "I do have a message from our hockey team though. They said your ass better heal fast, cause we need you back out there to keep the other teams in line," Wendell said smiling.

Booth laughed. "Tell them my ass is about all that doesn't need to heal!"

"I told them you'd say that and that's about when they called you a smartass." Wendell said laughing.

"Remind me to kick their butts later…so what happened in the last game? We win?"

"Yeah. It was close though. Four-three in overtime. Can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask. Depending on the question, you may or may not get a response," Booth said, still a little wary about squints asking him questions after Zach had asked him about sexual positions.

"Well you explained about Raddick wanting revenge, but now Dr. B. is saying there are two accomplices and one is a guy named Kenton who wants revenge on you too. Who is he?" Booth explained to him the case involving Kenton, Hollings, and Bones' exploding fridge. "Ok. Now I have another question though. Do you happen to like being blown up and breaking out of hospitals?"

"No to being blown up, but breaking out of hospitals can be fairly fun, except for when you get dragged back…You said you that you found something with the case. Let's hear it."

"No way man. Dr. B. made it quite clear that you're supposed to be resting and to not tell you anything. She would murder me if I told you anything and personally I would prefer to live a little longer. She's convinced you'll try to break out again if you learn anything new. Sorry."

"Come on, Bones won't find out."

"Won't find out what?" a voice asked from the doorway. Both heads snapped to the doorway, not having heard the door open. Brennan stood there holding two containers of pudding. "Figured you'd want these," she explained, walking over to the tray to put them down.

"Thanks, Bones, you're the best!" Booth said giving her one of his charm smiles. She smiled back, then turned the smile into a glare directed at both men.

"Now, what won't I find out about?"

"Nothing Bones. Don't worry about it."

"Tell me, Booth…He was giving you case information, wasn't he!" She glared harder at Wendell, causing him to start backing up to the wall from fear.

"Don't scare him, Bones. He didn't tell me anything. I wish he would, but he was quite clear that you would murder him if he did." Wendell was nodding enthusiastically at Booth's words. Brennan nodded.

"Yeah…I'm gonna head out…see you later, Booth." Wendell left the room quickly. Booth chuckled.

"Way to instill fear into your interns." Brennan sat in the chair on the right side of Booth's bed.

"What, I know that if you were to find out new information you would insist on working on it while you should be resting which would end up hindering your recovery."

"Bones, please keep me updated in the case. Raddick's calling the shots and it's clear I'm his main target therefore…" Booth said trailing off at the end. Brennan recognized the look in his eyes.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that we know that we know that there are at least three of them. Raddick is calling the shots, but Kenton had something against me, since I caused him to get caught and ruined his plan of killing you. I'm thinking the third accomplice is someone else holding a grudge against me."

"Any ideas who?"

"You know how many people I've arrested? You count them, their families, friends, and people with a personal grudge against me and you're still looking at way to many people. Think about how many people we've put in jail. That's a lot right there, then add on the years I worked before you…"

"I hate speculation, but wouldn't they need to know you a little better than that because they are using your son. Wouldn't they therefore need to know that you have a son and care for him more than anything else?"

"You could be right, but I still don't know who may have that information and want revenge." Brennan nodded.

"I should get back to the lab; keep going over the evidence we have and see if we can get anything new." She got up to leave.

"Bones, please keep me in the loop."

"I don't know what that means."

"Keep me involved."

"Get some rest. Heal up fast and you'll be back to tracking him down in no time."

* * *

The next two weeks passed slowly for Booth. He was surprised that there were no new developments in the case, but he guessed that was because he was the main target now really and Raddick wanted him out before he continued. He was visited by all of the squints at different times, mostly when they didn't have something that they were needed at the lab for. He was even pleasantly surprised by a few visits from Rebecca and Parker. Rebecca even apologized for overreacting to the situation.

It was now about one p.m. and he was walking into the lab. His left arm was out of the sling, but still in a brace along with his left leg. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, which made the fact that his ribs were still heavily wrapped fairly obvious. Some of his burns and other injuries were still covered with bandages. He was leaning heavily on a pair of crutches also. He saw that Brennan was in her office, on her computer, so he made his way over to her, and stopped in the doorway.

"Hey Bones!" She jumped at the sound of his voice and quickly leapt out of her chair and over to the doorway, pulling Booth into a hug and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Neither were really sure what caused her to do these two actions, but Booth returned the hug. Both barely even processed the kiss.

"What are you doing here?" Brennan asked leading Booth over to the couch, so that he could sit. He sank down gratefully into the cushions and laid the crutches on the floor next to him.

"Got discharged." Brennan raised an eyebrow, with a look of disbelief. He smiled at her. She could tell he was hiding something.

"Willingly?" she questioned. He had the decency to look embarrassed at being caught. "What did you do?"

"Well, I argued with them for awhile before they actually agreed. They had been saying I was healing quicker than expected so I used that information against them. They even agreed to a brace that allows me to bend my knee instead of keeping it straight and my shoulder was healed enough, so I don't need a sling." He was trying to charm his way out of being in trouble with her. She sighed and rolled her eyes, knowing that was what he was attempting.

"How'd you get here?"

"Cab, how else? My SUV was completely destroyed. If I called the FBI, Cullen would have found out, and, well, that wouldn't be good." He shuddered at the thought. "I didn't want to call anyone here and interrupt the work you're doing…By the way, can you fill me in on the details now?"

"Fine, but after I'm bringing you home. We haven't found out much in awhile anyway. We've hit more dead ends and I don't have a clue as to who the third accomplice could be. We have been able to match all of the injuries to different weapons though. We still don't have the gun, but we ran the bullet that was in your arm with the holes in the bones and have determined you were hit by the same gun as those boys were. Sorry, but that's all of the definitive information we have right now." Booth nodded.

"You don't have anything else?"

She shook her head. "Sorry. Come on, let's get you home." She lifted his crutches from the floor for him. Hodgins then came running into the office.

"Dr. B. I might have found something…Booth what are you doing here?"

"Just get on with it, Hodgins," Booth told him.

"I'm not really sure what it means, but if it means what I think it means, you won't be happy about it."

"Get on with it, Hodgins. We don't have all day." Booth was getting testy. Brennan put her hand on his uninjured knee to try and calm him.

"I found…" he took a dramatic pause.

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 10, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... **

**also you've just finished chapter 10 so that means that there is 10 chapters left plus an epilogue... I won't have access to a computer or internet July 10 or July 17... the chapter scheduled to be posted on the 3rd as of now is chapter 13... so if you want the story to be completed send in more reviews... get me 10 reviews on the chapter and I won't make you wait until the following Sunday... I'll post as soon as I see the 10 count and have a chance to get on the computer but that doesn't mean you don't have to not review after 10 because if you get me 20 on one chapter before I have a chance to get on the computer I'll post the next chapter and then a few hours later I'll try to get on a computer again to post the following chapter a few hours later otherwise latest the following day... so your choice on how fast it gets updated and if you'll have a 2 week break between chapters in July...**


	11. The Third Accomplice

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_Hodgins then came running into the office._

_"Dr. B. I might have found something…Booth, what are you doing here?"_

_"Just get on with it, Hodgins," Booth told him._

_"I'm not really sure what it means, but if it means what I think it means, you won't be happy about it."_

_"Get on with it, Hodgins. We don't have all day." Booth was getting testy. Brennan put her hand on his uninjured knee to try and calm him._

_"I found…" he took a dramatic pause._

* * *

**Killing for Revenge**

**Chapter 11: The Third Accomplice**

* * *

"What, Hodgins? Get on with it." Booth was getting impatient. He wanted this case closed.

"I found traces of salt water and sand."

"Meaning?" Booth asked, urging him to get to the point.

"With the concentrations I found in both, I'm fairly certain that they've spent the last couple years living on the water in the Caribbean." Booth looked confused.

"Oh…" Brennan said realizing what Hodgins was saying.

"Oh what?" Booth asked.

"Sully," Brennan said.

"What about him?"

"He went off sailing for the Caribbean."

"Yeah, but there's no reason for him to be holding a grudge on me. He's the one who left."

"He thinks I stayed because of you," Brennan said quietly.

"Sully would be going after you than because he'd probably think that would get me more, and besides we don't even know if he's in D.C." Hodgins was just watching them, like it was a tennis match.

"You said Raddick was calling the shots though, so if he believes you will be hurt most if he hurts your son that's what Raddick will want Sully to go for."

"You realize you're the one speculating now, right," Booth said smirking lightly. She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off, continuing his thought. "I'll concede to that point, but we still don't know that Sully is in D.C."

"Can't we find out?"

"I can call the FBI, see if they have any info as to his whereabouts."

"I thought you didn't want to deal with Cullen?"

"I don't. That's why I'm gonna call Sweets when I know he's free and threaten him that if he tells Cullen it was me that called, that I'll shoot him." Booth smiled.

"Don't scare the boy, Booth."

"But it's fun!" Booth said pouting. Brennan rolled her eyes. They both then noticed Hodgins still standing there watching them with amusement.

"Do you have anything else, Hodgins?" Brennan asked.

"Not right now. I'm out of abnormal particulates."

"Ok." Hodgins left the office. Brennan turned back to Booth, handing him his crutches.

"I'm just going to let the others know that I'm bringing you home. I'll be back in a minute."

"Bones, I can go with you. It'll make it quicker and easier anyway," Booth said pulling himself up from the couch. He started for the door. Brennan rolled her eyes at his stubbornness, grabbed her things, and followed him. They walked into Cam's office, where she was having a conversation with Angela. Both of their backs were to the door.

"Hey, squints! What's new?" Booth asked, coming into the room, followed by Brennan. Both jumped.

"What are you doing here, Seeley?" Cam asked, as Angela hugged him, carefully, trying not to trip on his crutches or hurt him.

"Got discharged earlier and came here, Camille." She raised an eyebrow.

"Willingly?"

"Well…"

"No, he tricked them," Brennan told her.

"Hey, I merely gave them a few logical arguments of why I should and could be released and after a while I won… the advantage to hanging around with squints all the time."

"Probably just to shut him up," Angela mumbled to Cam. She laughed.

"I heard that," Booth told Angela. Before he could continue speaking, Brennan cut in.

"She's probably right."

"Bones, whose side are you on?"

"Well, you do have the ability to be quite annoying and if…"

"Bones!" Angela erupted in laughter and Cam tried to hide her laughter and amusement. Booth glared at them. Cam cleared her throat, trying to gain their focus again and prevent an argument.

"What did you need, Dr. Brennan?" Cam asked.

"I was just coming to let you know that I'm going to bring Booth home, because I'm sure he's still under orders to rest."

"Ok, but you should probably stay with him too if you want. We both know how stubborn he can be and he won't rest, unless he's being watched like a hawk. We've got everything covered here really, so you can just bring your laptop with you so we can video conference if we need to. We'll call if we need your help."

"Ok, that works." She took her laptop, which she had accidently left in Cam's office at some point. "Ready Booth?"

"Yeah, in a minute." He then turned to Angela and Cam. "We also might have a possible ID for our third accomplice, thanks to the particulates Hodgins found."

"Who?" Angela asked.

"Possibly Sully," Brennan told them. "He's still under the impression that I stayed because of Booth. Booth's going to look into his whereabouts when we get back to his place."

"Means to say, he comes by you call me immediately because he has no reason to suspect we know anything incriminating him, also put the lab on lockdown. We don't want him getting out. Just tell him they're testing the new system or something, we don't want him catching on that it's because of him. We don't want him to do something drastic."

"What do you mean by drastic?" Angela asked.

"With Sully acting like this, I have no clue. I thought I knew him but… I also really don't want to find out what drastic would mean."

"Ok," Angela said. Booth and Brennan left the office to go to her car. As they were leaving, Angela and Cam were listening to their conversation.

"Hey Bones, how 'bout we stop at the diner for an early dinner. I never did get that pie I wanted, you never got those fries you wanted either and I'm hungry so…"

"You're always hungry," she told him with laughter in her voice.

"Hey, you can never go wrong with a good slice of pie. You really should give it a try…" Cam was fairly sure he was flashing her one of his charm smiles, that gets him practically anything he wants and she told Angela this. They continued to listen to their conversation.

"Fine, but I'm still not trying the pie. I don't like my fruit cooked."

"You don't know wh…" Cam and Angela couldn't hear them anymore.

"So who do you think has the other wrapped around their finger more?" Cam asked Angela.

"Don't know, tough call."

* * *

**_The Diner_**

"Mmmmm," Booth said taking a bite of his apple pie, and closing his eyes with a smile. Brennan laughed biting into a fry. "Come on, you know you want to try some," he said in a sing-song voice, waving the fork in front of her with a smile.

"You know I don't like my fruit cooked, weren't you listening earlier," she said smiling.

"Your loss," he said eating the bite himself.

"When are you going to call Sweets?"

"When we get back to my place. This isn't really a conversation for a public place."

"Ok." Both spent the remainder of the meal talking about anything and everything, laughing and having a good time. When they finished their food Brennan put some money on the table. "No," she said when she saw him open his mouth to protest her paying, "you're the one who just got out of the hospital, so take it as a celebratory thing if you must, or take it as a treat since I get to drive you around for a while, and I know how much you hate that, but I'm paying." She stood up and reached for his crutches, propped up on the wall behind them. She handed them to him.

"You know I really hate these things." He pulled himself up saying this and grimaced slightly. He was happy that Brennan didn't seem to notice.

"I actually don't mind them. They force you to allow me to drive." She smiled at him.

"Yeah, don't get used to it, but right now I don't have a car anyway, so it really doesn't make a difference." They started to the exit.

"So your place?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll call Sweets when we get there." Brennan nodded as they left.

* * *

**_Booth's Apartment_**

Brennan took Booth's keys from him and opened the door for them to enter. She shut the door behind them. Booth crossed the room to his couch and sunk down onto it quickly, laying the crutches on the left side of the couch. He leaned back and closed his eyes. Brennan sat down on his right side.

"You ok?" She asked giving him a look that clearly said, 'don't even think about lying to me'.

"I'm fine." She darkened her look at him. He gave in. "Ok, ok…I'm a little sore and tired, but it's really not bad…Now let's call Sweets." He reached into his right pocket for his cell phone. "I'll put it on speaker." He dialed the number. They heard the phone ringing. After a few rings, Sweets picked up.

"Dr. Lance Sweets."

"Sweets, it's Booth."

"Booth?" he questioned sounding slightly shocked to be hearing from him.

"Yeah, he left the hospital again," Brennan informed him.

"Hey, this time I was discharged."

"Unwillingly." Before they could get into an argument Sweets interrupted.

"Guys, why are you calling?"

"We could use your help, but you got to keep Cullen from knowing that I'm the one looking for the information."

"Yeah, ok, what do you need?"

"Recent evidence from Hodgins has led us to believe that the third accomplice is a former agent, Tim Sullivan…" Brennan spoke up.

"What we need is current location. A few years ago he went sailing off to the Caribbean. We think he's back in D.C. helping Raddick."

"Why?" Sweets asked, confused as to why a friend would hurt them.

"Cause I didn't go with him and he's still convinced that it's because of Booth that I stayed, but since Raddick is in control he has to follow his plan," Brennan informed him.

"Oh…he wants revenge on Booth cause you stayed."

"Call me back when you find something," Booth told Sweets.

"It might take awhile, so you probably won't hear from me until tomorrow."

"Just get the info to us as soon as you have it." Booth hung up and tossed the phone onto his coffee table. He looked over to Brennan. "So, what now?... Cam said she'd call if she needed you so…want to watch a movie to kill time?"

"Sure, but you can't kill time."

"Expression, Bones." Booth went to get up to put in a movie. Brennan pushed him back onto the couch lightly.

"No way. I can put the movie in, stay sitting."

"Ok, ok." Booth relaxed back into the cushions, putting his legs up on the table in front of him. Brennan got up and put in one of the DVDs then joined him on the couch. They watched the movie for a while, but about halfway through they both fell asleep. Neither noticed the dark figure across the street that had been following them.

* * *

**So... who's watching them?**

**Ok... so that was chapter 11, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... **

**also you've just finished chapter 11 so that means that there is 9 chapters left plus an epilogue... I won't have access to a computer or internet July 10 or July 17... the chapter scheduled to be posted on the 3rd as of now is chapter 13... so if you want the story to be completed send in more reviews... get me 10 reviews on the chapter and I won't make you wait until the following Sunday... I'll post as soon as I see the 10 count and have a chance to get on the computer but that doesn't mean you don't have to not review after 10 because if you get me 20 on one chapter before I have a chance to get on the computer I'll post the next chapter and then a few hours later I'll try to get on a computer again to post the following chapter a few hours later otherwise latest the following day... so your choice on how fast it gets updated and if you'll have a 2 week break between chapters in July...**


	12. A Surprise

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Special Thanks to itberice for being my 50th review! Wow!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_They watched the movie for a while, but about halfway through they both fell asleep. Neither noticed the dark figure across the street that had been following them._

* * *

**Killing for Revenge  
****Chapter 12: A Surprise**

* * *

Something woke Booth up. He had always been a fairly light sleeper, so this did not really surprise him. He went to move a little to stretch his stiff muscles and that was when he noticed a weight on his right shoulder, chest, and stomach. He looked over and noticed that Brennan must have fallen asleep at some point, and had shifted so that she was laying with her head on his shoulder and chest with her right arm draped over his stomach; his arm around her. She looked content and he smiled. His slight movement caused her to start waking.

"Good morning, I think," Booth told her quietly, not really sure what time it was.

"Ugh," she groaned, not wanting to wake up. She shifted, making herself more comfortable, eyes still shut. Booth chuckled lightly; his head was just above hers.

"Comfortable?" he asked, laughter in his voice.

"Mmhmm," she mumbled in agreement, then she processed what she heard and her head shot up, smacking Booth in the chin.

"Oww, watch it, Bones!" He rubbed his chin with his right hand.

"Sorry, are you ok?" Brennan asked moving off him slowly and carefully trying not to hurt him more. She looked out the window and saw how dark it was. "What time is it anyway?" Booth grabbed his cell phone from the coffee table and looked at the time.

"Just after two." His cell started ringing. "Whoever is calling better have a good reason for calling at two in the morning." His phone was still on speaker so he answered without looking at the caller id. "Booth."

"Hey, I have info for you," Sweets said.

"Let's hear it."

"I called Cullen to get the information you wanted. I told him that Dr. Brennan and the squints were looking for that info and of their suspicions…"

"Get on with it, Sweets!"

"Right, well, he is back in D.C. We have been having agents try to locate him. We figured at this hour he would be at his apartment now, so we sent over two agents. They just checked in with Cullen. He wasn't there. He has a team out trying to locate him now. I'll warn you now though, he tried to call you at the hospital, to warn you to be on alert and they told him you were discharged…"

"Shit! How pissed is he?"

"Let's just say my ear is still throbbing from the lashing I got from him for just not informing him that you called me. Good luck. Cullen also wants to know how you convinced the agents on your door to not tell him you left. He also says to keep an eye on your surroundings. I'll call if we locate him. Good luck, you're going to need it."

"Thanks." Booth hung up and looked over to Brennan, who was trying not to laugh. "Don't even think about saying it," he warned her.

"Say what?" she asked, trying to look innocent.

"You know what."

"No, I don't." She was attempting to look confused.

"You want to go on with 'see this is what you get for wanting to break out of the hospital again'," he said attempting to mimic her voice. She couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. He soon joined in. They were soon interrupted by the sound of Booth's phone ringing. He looked at the caller id and read "Cullen".

"Why do I have the strongest urge to just let it go to voicemail?" Booth asked Brennan.

"You do that and he'll probably yell more."

"True." He slowly opened the phone, keeping it on speaker. "Booth."

"WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU THINKING!" Booth almost dropped the phone, hearing the shouting.

"They discharged me!" Booth told him, glaring at Brennan, who was having difficulty containing her laughter.

"YEAH, 'CAUSE YOU WERE BEING A PAIN IN THE ASS APARENTLY, SO THEY WANTED TO SHUT YOU UP!" Cullen ranted. Calming a little he added, "at least tell me you are resting and not working."

"Well…"

"Booth," Cullen warned.

"I'm working, but not much. Bones is making sure that anything I do I am doing sitting or laying down. When I'm at the lab, she won't let me off the couch in her office, and when I'm not there I'm home."

"Please tell me you're at least home now with how late it is."

"Yes, sir."

"Are you just humoring me?"

"No."

"Is Dr. Brennan with you?" Both of their eyes widened at how he knew that.

"Yes, she is."

"I didn't think she'd let you out of her sight," Cullen said chuckling lightly. "I bet she's worse than the nurses for you because she won't give in to your crap."

"Um…you're on speaker, sir. She can hear you."

"Cullen," she said.

"Dr. Brennan, can I put in a request for you?"

"Ok."

"If Booth starts doing too much can you cuff him to a couch or something to force him to rest? Of course I'll leave the definition of too much up to you."

"Sir…" Booth started.

"No buts, Booth. It's your own fault since you broke out of the hospital again."

"Not a problem at all," Brennan told Cullen.

"What did you need, sir?" Booth asked trying to get the focus back on the case.

"Sweets informed me of your suspicions. Sully is in D.C., but we aren't sure of his current location. He isn't at his apartment so be cautious if you really think he's the accomplice."

"Evidence seems to point that way," Brennan said.

"Ok, well just be alert. We'll call if we learn anything more," Cullen told them, then hung up. Booth took his phone off speaker. He turned to Brennan.

"So…what now?" He asked.

"I don't know. How do you—" Booth interrupted her by putting his hand up.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered looking alert.

"Hear what?" she whispered back. Then she heard it. It was a muffled bang coming from the back of the apartment, from the direction of Booth's bedroom. Booth got up from the couch, carefully.

"Stay here," he whispered. He left his crutches on the floor as he limped down the hallway to his bedroom, slowly. Brennan hadn't listened to him and followed at a small distance behind him. Booth chose not to say anything, knowing she wouldn't listen anyway.

He got to the door and opened it. He started scanning the room for anything out of place. The lights were off, like he left them. He motioned for Brennan to stay in the doorway. Booth went around scanning the room carefully. He noticed that things seemed to be in place. He scanned the room a second time and that was when he noticed the window was open and the closet door closed. He knew he left the window closed and closet open because, with all the rushing around with the case and braces on his arm and leg, it was making his life easier. He moved back to the door, keeping an eye on the closet.

"The window was closed and closet open," he whispered once he was next to her.

"You sure?"

"Yes, someone's here. Don't turn on the light until they attack. We should catch them off guard, since there are two of us. They probably wouldn't expect it." Booth took a step toward the closet. Brennan grabbed his arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed.

"Opening the closet, try to shock him first."

"You're not at full strength."

"Which is why I'm going for the surprise factor. Something happens though, get yourself out."

"No."

"Bones."

"No, I can help."

"Bones, Sully may convince Raddick that you're a better target. You need to get somewhere safe."

"You'll need my help here."

"Bones."

"No, I'm staying."

"I'm only saying if something goes wrong you get yourself out. We need to finish this to get those boys the justice they deserve," he told her, knowing further arguing would mean losing time and possible advantage. She let go of his arm.

"I'm still not happy about this with your alpha-male tendencies."

Booth smiled. "I know." He went to the closet door and put his hand on the knob. He turn his head to Brennan and nodded to her signaling that he was about to open the door. She nodded back.

Booth turned back to the door and quickly yanked it open. The intruder was shocked at the intrusion, but he was ready, holding a pipe. The intruder attempted to bring down the pipe on Booth's head. Booth was able to avoid the pipe coming down on his head, but was not able to fully avoid the hit, so it came down on his right shoulder. Booth had been partially moving though, so it came down lighter than he expected. He still hit the floor, however. He was hoping that this would cause the intruder to step forward. It did, so Booth quickly swung his leg out and tripped the intruder. He fell next to Booth, dropping the pipe, but quickly recovered and got up. He had yet to notice Brennan, but then she flicked on the light. The intruder was Sully.

Sully was momentarily distracted by the lights being turned on. Booth used this to his advantage, quickly swiping his legs out from under him. Sully went down over Booth's legs. What Booth failed to take into account was how close his bed was to his closet door. As Sully fell, he quickly brought out the handcuffs that he brought with him and cuffed Booth's right arm to the bed post as he landed.

"Crap!" Booth said, yanking hard on the cuffs. He was yanking hard enough that his wrist was already starting to be rubbed raw.

Sully got up as Brennan made her way over to them, ready to attack.

"Bones, get out of here!" She shook her head and lunged at Sully, punching him in the stomach. All of the oxygen in his lungs left him as he slumped to the floor. Brennan stepped closer because he appeared to be out cold. As she approached, Sully quickly reached out with his arm and grabbed her ankle, pulling her hard. She went down hard, smacking her head into the wall and was knocked out.

"Bones!" Booth shouted. Sully ignored him and quickly brought out the rope and duck tape that he put in the closet when he got there. He quickly tied Brennan's arms behind her back, tied her ankles together, and put tape over her mouth incase she woke up. He then moved to Booth and tied his legs together as well, probably tighter than necessary. He also put tape over Booth's mouth. He moved back to the pipe and picked it up, going back to Booth. Booth glared at him hard. Sully spoke then.

"I really don't want to hurt her, but I don't know his plans. Good luck, Booth. You know where Temperance will be. You better move fast. Good night." As Sully spoke he annunciated 'Temperance' harder. After he spoke he brought the pipe up and brought it down hard sending Booth into darkness before he could really process what Sully was saying.

* * *

**_The Lab_**

Cam, Wendell, and Hodgins were standing on the platform following up with the information they have. It was about 9:30 in the morning. Angela scanned onto the platform.

"Has anyone seen Bren? It's getting pretty late."

"I haven't seen her since she left with Booth yesterday. I told her we'd call if we needed her," Cam told Angela.

"Yeah, but you know Bren. She would have checked in this morning, even if she was staying with Booth. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Look, I'm sure everything is fine, but if it will make you feel better I'll call his apartment." Cam took out her cell phone and dialed. She put the phone to her ear. After a few moments she closed the phone. "I'm not getting an answer. Try Brennan's cell while I try Booth's." Angela took out her cell and they both dialed the respective numbers and put the phone to their ears. They waited a few moments. "I'm still not getting an answer from him." Cam hung up.

"Bren's not answering either." Angela hung up the phone. Sweets came into the lab.

"Oh, thank god," Cam said as she saw him. "Have you seen or spoken to Booth or Brennan recently?" She shouted the question at him as he was approaching.

It took him a few moments to respond because he was shocked by Cam's urgent question. "Um…I spoke to them on the phone at about two this morning and I believe Cullen was going to call them shortly after that. Why?"

"Because we can't get in touch with them now. What were you calling about?" Cam told Sweets.

"We had a team trying to track down Sully after we confirmed he's in D.C. We found his apartment and agents went there and reported just before two that he wasn't there. No one can find him."

"So, what do we do now?" Angela asked.

"You said they were at Booth's place, so we go over and check it out."

"Let's hurry people," Cam said. All five of them left.

* * *

**_Booth's Apartment_**

"Bren told me he's got a key under that fake rock there," Angela told them point to the rock.

"What is he an idiot?" Cam asked. "Let's knock first and see if there's an answer before we break in."

"It's not technically breaking in if we have a key," Hodgins said.

"That is true," Wendell said, but raised his hand to knock.

"Wait," Sweets said, "what if someone is inside?"

"Well, Booth and Brennan should be inside," Hodgins said. Angela smacked him upside his head. "Oww!"

"He meant an enemy," she told him, rolling her eyes.

"I knew that," Hodgins declared, rubbing his head. "I was being sarcastic." Wendell grabbed the key from under the rock.

"Ready?" The other four nodded as he inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. The five of them entered and split up searching the apartment.

"Booth's crutches are still here," Angela said pointing to them. "That's not good."

"Why?" Sweets asked.

"Well, do you see them?" Angela asked pointedly.

"Point taken."

"Come on, let's keep looking around," Hodgins said.

"In here…" Cam's voice called from the back. The three came quickly. As they approached Cam spoke again. "Someone bring a towel too." Sweets went to go find one as Hodgins and Angela went to the room. They were shocked by the scene.

Booth was lying, cuffed to the leg of his bed with duck tape over his mouth and legs bound together. He had a decent amount of blood running down the side of his face. He was lying on his right side with his right arm stretched behind him. Cam was crouched in front of Booth and Wendell was attempting to untie his legs. Cam was in the process of carefully removing the tape from his mouth. Sweets came in carrying the towel.

"Oh man," he said seeing the condition Booth was in and the amount of blood. Cam saw him come in with the small hand towel as she finished getting the tape off of Booth's mouth. "Sorry, best I could find quickly." He handed her the towel.

"Thanks," she said applying pressure to the gash across Booth's head. "Does anyone happen to have cuff keys?" she asked nodding her head toward the handcuffs.

"Check Booth's nightstand," Sweets suggested. Angela went over to it and found a set.

"Let's just hope that these will work on the cuffs," Angela said moving toward Booth's wrist. She got the cuff around his wrist undone. "We might need some bandages here." Cam looked over and saw his wrist was rubbed raw and was bleeding in some spots.

"Man, Booth put up a fight even after he was bound," Hodgins said.

"Yeah…Can someone get some bandages and bags that we can use as evidence bags for the ropes, cuffs, and duck tape?" Cam asked. Hodgins and Sweets left to find those items. "Angela, help me move Booth onto his back. We need to be careful and move his right arm so that he isn't lying on it too. That would just cause him more pain."

"Do you need my help too?" Wendell asked.

"That would probably be good actually. Can you keep pressure on the towel while we shift him?" Wendell nodded and moved to take over applying pressure. Angela and Cam carefully moved him onto his back. One was crouched on each side of him. Cam on his right; Angela on his left between him and his bed. Wendell was at his head.

Cam started to try and rouse Booth from unconsciousness. "Booth…" she called putting her hand on his arm near his elbow and shaking gently. "Booth…" she called a little louder. His eyelids started to twitch a little. Hodgins came back into the room with the zip-lock bags. "Put everything in those bags," Cam said when she saw him.

"Shouldn't we call an ambulance?" Hodgins asked noticing Booth starting to come to. He also started doing what she requested.

"Bren's not here; no way he would go for that," Angela said.

"She's right," Cam said. "No point, besides it might actually put him in more danger." Sweets came in with the bandages and handed them to Cam who put them to the side temporarily. "Come on Booth…" she called again, shaking him lightly. He groaned, opening his eyes and blinking a few time to clear his vision. He attempted to sit up, and with help from Cam and Angela he made it to a sitting position. They helped turn him so that he was leaning against the bed. He raised his right hand to his head and felt the towel that Wendell was still holding to his head. He winced.

"Oh…oww," he said as Wendell took his hand away allowing Booth to take over applying pressure to his own wound.

"What happened, Booth?" Angela asked, concerned. Booth closed his eyes for a moment trying to get his thoughts unscrambled. After a moment his eyes snapped open.

"He got her," Booth spoke.

"Who?" Cam asked.

"Sully got Bones. He said to hurry because while he didn't want to hurt her, he didn't know what Raddick's plans are. We have to hurry… He said we'd know where she is… What time is it?" Booth attempted to get up but promptly fell to the ground again, groaning. His head was also pounding now as well as all of his other injuries were throbbing.

"Slow down, Booth, and start from the beginning; after I got off the phone with you," Sweets said. Booth started to speak, telling them everything he could remember about the attack and Cullen calling. Angela gasped once he finished.

"What do we do know?" Hodgins asked.

"I don't know," Booth said, "but we should probably contact Cullen and Max."

"I'll go and call Cullen. I'll update him on everything and see what he thinks we should do now," Sweets said.

"I'll call Max and tell him to get over here because I am not going to be the one to tell him his daughter is missing," Cam said. Cam and Sweets left the room to make the calls in the hall. Angela moved to bandage Booth's wrist.

"Thanks, Angela," Booth said as she started on his wrist.

"Yeah well, just remember I don't do this for everyone," she spoke, smiling. Booth chuckled lightly.

"Dude, what am I gonna tell the team now?" Wendell asked.

"You can tell them that my ass is still uninjured, but these two injuries will heal before the bones anyway; besides I've played with a broken hand before, if it was just these two injuries I could still play," Booth told him laughing.

"Not happening, Booth," Cam told him coming back into the room with Sweets. "Both Max and Cullen are on their way over. Have fun explaining to Max what happened."

"Thanks for leaving that to me, Camille," Booth said sarcastically.

"You're welcome, Seeley."

"Cullen is also totally pissed," Sweets told Booth.

"Great," he responded sarcastically again.

"Come on, let's get you back on the couch," Cam told him after she took care of his head injury. She helped him to his feet, and saw him wince a few times while he was getting off the floor. "You ok?"

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "Just stiffened from being on the floor so long," he added. He used the walls for support as he made his way back to the couch.

"So, what do we do now?" Wendell asked.

"Well, first we wait until Max and Cullen get here. We'll see where we go from there," Booth informed him sinking onto the couch. The group fell into silence, not wanting to discuss what was happening yet.

After a short amount of time, there was a knock on the door. Cam got up to answer it. She opened the door; both Max and Cullen were there. She ushered them in quickly. Booth saw them come in. Hodgins and Wendell brought in two more chairs.

"How you doing, Booth?" Cullen asked, concerned. Both men took the seats that were just brought in as Cam sat between Angela and Booth on the couch again. The others were sitting on their seats again.

"I'm ok."

"What's going on, Booth?" Max asked.

"Sully got Bones." He took a few moments to explain what had happened. He looked at Cullen. "What now, sir?"

"We go get her," Max said rising from his chair.

"We need to figure out where she is first, otherwise we'd be wasting time," Booth told Max.

"Booth's right," Cullen said. He turned to Booth. "Do you have any ideas where he would take her?"

"I've been trying to figure that out. When he left on his boat he probably sold what he had because he was planning on being gone for a year. We know he wasn't at his apartment and I can't imagine him going back there. They aren't stupid enough to go back to the field. The warehouse was Kenton's thing…" Booth's eyes shot open wider. "We should go to the docks," Booth said, rising. "His exact words were 'we know where 'Temperance' is.' He named his boat after her."

"Hang on. You are not coming Booth," Cullen told him sternly.

"She's my partner."

"You can barely stand!" Booth chose to ignore his boss, knowing it was wasting time. He looked at Max.

"You coming?" He asked Max, picking up his gun from the coffee table. He realized now that he probably should have picked it up on the way to investigate the banging.

"Yeah," Max said, knowing it was pointless to argue with him when he was this determined. Booth tossed Max Brennan's car keys, which were also on the table. They both went to the door.

"You're welcome to stay for awhile," Booth called over his shoulder as him and Max closed the door behind them.

"Should we follow them?" Angela asked.

"The two of them should manage just fine actually. We don't want too many people there. It could spook him," Cullen said. "We should just wait to hear from them, they'll call."

They fell into silence with only one thing on their minds. Were Max and Booth going to the right place and would they be in time?

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 12, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... **

**also you've just finished chapter 12 so that means that there is 8 chapters left plus an epilogue... I won't have access to a computer or internet July 10 or July 17... the chapter scheduled to be posted on the 3rd as of now is chapter 13... so if you want the story to be completed send in more reviews... get me 10 reviews on the chapter and I won't make you wait until the following Sunday... I'll post as soon as I see the 10 count and have a chance to get on the computer but that doesn't mean you don't have to not review after 10 because if you get me 20 on one chapter before I have a chance to get on the computer I'll post the next chapter and then a few hours later I'll try to get on a computer again to post the following chapter a few hours later otherwise latest the following day... so your choice on how fast it gets updated and if you'll have a 2 week break between chapters in July...**


	13. The Boat

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_"Should we follow them?" Angela asked._

_"The two of them should manage just fine actually. We don't want too many people there. It could spook him," Cullen said. "We should just wait to hear from them, they'll call."_

_They fell into silence with only one thing on their minds. Were Max and Booth going to the right place and would they be in time?_

* * *

**Killing for Revenge  
****Chapter 13: The Boat**

* * *

**_Brennan's Car_**

Booth groaned as the car hit another pothole. Max was driving fast.

"Sorry… you know you're insane Booth."

"I've been told that a lot recently." Booth chuckled.

"What do you think the chances of us finding her on the boat?"

"I don't know. Raddick knows we know that he's in charge. We also know I'm his main target, so it really depends on how much control he's given Sully for this part." The two men fell into silence for the rest of the drive. 

* * *

**_The Docks_**

"Let me do the shooting and crap… I really don't want to have to arrest you again," Booth told Max as they got out of the car. His eyes were scanning for Sully's boat.

"Don't we have permission to use force, if necessary?"

"I, as a federal agent, do if I believe a crime is being committed. Are you an agent or are you a criminal?"

"Point taken," Max grumbled. Booth smirked slightly. He then noticed the boat and pointed it out to Max. "The Temperance… cheesy… as if he thought naming it after her would really make her go with him. I thought you said he was smart."

"What I said was Raddick is smart. Sully left without her. That should tell you all you need to know about his smartness. Sully's just done a lot career-wise." They walked to the boat and climbed up onto it. Booth grabbed his gun from its holster. "Stay behind me." Booth went over the cabin of the boat. He decided to try to open the door before going to kick it down. It opened when he turned the handle. They stepped into the cabin.

Brennan was in the center of the cabin, tied to a chair and gagged. She was unconscious. Max and Booth went over to her. Booth crouched in front of her and attempted to start to untie her from the chair, but he couldn't get a good enough grip on the rope so Max took over. Booth pulled the gag from her mouth.

"Bones… Bones," he called shaking her shoulder.

"Smack her," Max said when she didn't respond. Booth looked at him like he had three heads.

"I'd prefer not to die." Booth shook her a little harder. "Bones…" Her eyes started to flutter as she came to. She saw Booth and her father in front of her.

"Where are we?" she asked, once she was able to process that they were no longer in Booth's room.

"Sully's boat," Booth told her. "You ok?" Brennan nodded. She then noticed a shadow moving behind them.

"Booth," she called pointing to the door. Booth was able to turn in time to see the door to the cabin close, however, since his center of balance was off from the braces, he fell on his ass. They heard the click of the door locking.

"I'm sorry," Sully called from the other side. It was silent for a few moments, then they heard the sound of rushing water.

Brennan's eyes widened. "That's not good. We have to get out of here."

"Easier said than done," Max said looking out the window of the cabin. They were a good distance away from the dock now; they hadn't even realized that the boat had been moving at some point. He could also see Sully swimming to the dock. Max told them this.

They could feel that the boat was sinking fast. Booth was attempting to get up from the floor. Brennan got up and helped him to his feet. He was looking around trying to find an escape plan. His phone started ringing.

"Booth," he answered, still scanning the area.

"It's Cullen, What the hell is taking so long?"

"Sir, now's really not a good time. We're on the boat. We got Bones, but the boat was tampered with after we got on it and we are currently locked in the cabin and sinking."

"Boo—"

"I'll call you back later, sir." Booth hung up before he could start yelling. He turned to Max and Brennan. "We have to bust open that door."

"How?" Max asked. "The pressure will be building on the outside 'cause of the water and the door looks fairly sturdy to begin with."

Booth went over to the door and threw his right side against it. He bounced back groaning. "That hurt," he said.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "Did you really expect that not to hurt?"

"I was hoping the door would at least come down." He smiled. The cabin was starting to fill. The water was now ankle deep and freezing.

"The windows are too small for us to go through," Brennan told them.

"Come on people. You're the geniuses here! Can't you think of something that isn't the dumb guy normal stuff I can come up with?" Booth asked.

"Well if the cabin fills far enough it should even out the pressure and we may be able to bust down the door, providing it fills fast enough," Max told them looking at the door.

"So basically we wait and hope we time it right?" Booth asked.

"Or hope Cullen is able to get help to us faster." They fell silent watching the water rise. It seemed as if the boat was gradually filling faster.

When the water was about up to Booth's waist he decided that he was tired of waiting. Booth threw his right side against the door again. He was surprised when it caved. Max grabbed his left arm to pull him back when he saw that Booth was going to keep going with the door.

"Nice," he told Booth. "Sorry," he added when he realized he yanked on his injured arm a little roughly.

"Better than going with the door. Nice save. We have to hurry," he said when he noticed that the room was filling even faster now.

The three left the cabin, and headed toward the front of the boat, not realizing that the front was sinking faster than the back.

"We need to swim back to the dock," Brennan told them once they started to need to tread water.

"Easier said than done, Tempe." Brennan looked over to Max and Booth. Max was helping to support Booth above water because his braces were absorbing water at a rapid pace. It was hard for him to stay afloat with limited motion on his left side, broken ribs, and braces that were being weighted down more with the water. Brennan came closer to help support him too.

"Any ideas? We can't tread here for that long," Booth said. You could already hear the exhaustion in his voice because he was still trying to mostly support himself.

"I don't know." Brennan was trying to figure out the distance to the docks and see if they could make it.

After a few moments of treading, they saw a decent size motorboat heading toward them with the letters 'FBI' on it.

"At least Cullen isn't completely useless. Help a little earlier would have been appreciated, however," Max said slightly out of breath. "I'm getting to old for this crap."

The boat was getting closer and they saw Cullen and everyone else that was at Booth's apartment on the boat. When they got close enough, Hodgins cut the engine. Cullen and Wendell helped to drag Booth onto the boat as Cam, Angela, and Sweets helped Max and Brennan climb onto it. Hodgins quickly brought over blankets and towels, and gave them to the three shivering individuals. Cullen was crouching behind Booth, so that he was partially being held up to take pressure off his ribs. After Max and Brennan were seated closer to the center of the boat, with blankets around their shoulders, Cam moved to Booth to help remove the braces. As she opened and removed the straps, you could see the water gushing from them.

"What were you trying to do, drain the place?" Cullen asked laughing.

"Felt like it," Booth told him laughing, suppressing a shiver.

"You're going to need to wait for these to dry or replace them," Cam told Booth, holding up the braces.

"I'll wait; no way I'm going back to the hospital to get new braces."

"I figured; try not to move too much. You'll do more harm."

"Yeah, I know." Cullen moved from behind Booth, so he moved, using his good arm, to lean against the side of the boat. Brennan moved to sit on his right side. She was shivering nicely. Booth wrapped his arm around her shoulders, along with part of the blanket that was around him, trying to warm them both.

"Let's get out of here," they heard Cullen call. They heard the engine start up.

"You ok?" Booth asked once they started moving.

"I'm fine… You know you should really be lying down." He just gave her a look that clearly said 'You've got to be kidding me.' "Thank you though," she added. His look softened a little. "I could have handled it though." He gave her that look again. Max came over to where they were seated and plopped down next to Booth.

"I am definitely getting too old for this crap. Next time you need help on a case I suggest you call someone younger. You could always try Russ if you need a Brennan criminal," Max said laughing lightly.

"Dad!" Brennan said shocked. Booth chuckled.

"If I need a Brennan criminal I could just look to Bones too," he said still laughing.

"Booth!…" she said warningly, shooting him a glare.

"Really? What did she do?" Max asked Booth. "I thought you always played by the rules," he added to his daughter.

"Booth…" she warned again.

"I had to arrest her for shooting an unarmed suspect."

"He was going to set me on fire!"

"Which is why you weren't convicted. He was still unarmed."

"He was trying to destroy evidence!"

"He was still unarmed and you shot him without warning with alcohol on your breath!"

"So, are you two going to kiss yet?" Max asked casually.

"What?" They exclaimed, coming out of their bickering, turning slightly red.

"All I'm saying is that someone loves someone and vice versa," Max stated calmly. "Even your son sees it. He asked me about it after one of the science classes one day," he added.

"Dad, love is—" Brennan was cut off by Booth.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, a chemical reaction in the brain caused by en—something-or-others, blah, blah, blah." She turned redder in embarrassment. Booth smiled at her as he said this, then he focused on Max again. "Now, what exactly did my son say to you?"

"Well, when he spoke to me I had thought that you both were dating and just kept things more professional at the lab and didn't really want the relationship to be known by too many, including me. I didn't think you both were that dense. It was more of a question though. I believe his exact words were 'Why isn't Dr. Bones my dad's girlfriend?' I didn't know what to say. Shortly after that conversation is when I asked you if you were gay—" Brennan cut him off now.

"You asked him if he was gay!" It was Booth's turn to turn redder.

"Well technically first I asked him if he was sleeping with you. When he said no is when I asked him."

"Not helping, Max."

Cullen had been listening to their conversation and was trying hard not to laugh. He lost the battle and burst out laughing. Cam, Angela, and Wendell joined him. Hodgins and Sweets just looked amused, knowing if they laughed Booth would shoot them. Booth glared at them. They pulled up at the dock. Booth saw Sully in cuffs in the back of one of the FBI cars. Agents Mark and Pat were outside the car, keeping an eye on Sully.

"You caught him?" Booth asked surprised.

"Climbing up onto the docks as we arrived," Cullen informed him. Cullen radioed in to the agents, "someone bring a car over and have the heat up high."

"Copy," they radioed back.

Cullen turned to Booth, Brennan, and Max. "Sorry, didn't think to grab your crutches on the way out of your apartment, so you're going to have to use us as support because there is no way you are putting weight on that leg without wearing the brace. No arguing." Booth nodded knowing not to argue further with his boss, for now. "The car should be around in a minute for you three to get in and warm up. We can have one of the agents or someone from your team bring back the car you both arrived in." Max handed over the keys.

"Those are my keys!" Brennan exclaimed.

"Well you didn't grab them when Sully took you and my SUV is still in like a million pieces," Booth told her. Cullen started to walk away to watch for the car. He turned back after a few steps though.

"By the way, Booth."

"Yes, sir," he responded nervously.

"If you ever hang up on me again you'll regret it," he said with a smile.

"Yes sir," he gulped. Max laughed as Cullen left. Brennan put her head on Booth's shoulder.

"Comfortable?" Booth asked looking at her. Her eyes were closed.

She nodded. "Your shoulder's comfortable," she said, holding back a yawn.

Booth laughed. "And you're half-asleep, but thanks, I think."

"Not a compliment. Just a fact," she responded falling asleep. Booth was turning slightly red again since her father was sitting right next to them, looking amused.

"Not a word, Max."

Max laughed. "Told you, Booth." Booth glared.

Cullen came back over about a minute later with Wendell. "Car's here. Let's get you up, Booth." Booth nodded and woke Brennan up. She looked at him.

"Car's here," he told her simply as Max stood. She nodded and stood as well. Her and Wendell helped Booth to his foot, careful of his arm as well. They made their way to the car. Booth took the passenger seat because it was easier to get him into it and Max and Brennan took the back. Cam handed them Booth's braces.

"Hopefully they'll be dry soon. We'll be at the lab. You guys warm up and we'll see you tomorrow, if you come in. We'll start processing what we collect here."

"Ok. Have someone bring my car to Booth's apartment."

"Ok." Cam walked back to the team. Cullen climbed into the driver's seat. Booth looked at him. Cullen saw how he was wondering why he was driving them.

"I figured between Dr. Brennan and myself there was a better chance of controlling you than if I sent another agent," Cullen told him. Booth rolled his eyes and Brennan and Max laughed.

"All you have to do is threaten to blackmail him and you will be quite successful as well," Brennan told Cullen.

"What?" Max asked, curious.

"It's how our partnership started," Booth told Max vaguely. "And it was the only time it actually worked." He looked at Brennan with a glare for sharing that piece of information.

"You sure about that?" Booth stayed silent, unsure.

"Blackmailed by a squint… unbelievable, Booth… and then you let her shoot a suspect, unbelievable," Cullen said. Booth was sinking down farther into his seat, as if that would make him invisible. "So back to your apartment?"

"Yeah."

"After you and Max left, we also cleaned up and took samples and fingerprints. They are being brought to the lab."

"Ok, thanks. What's happening with Sully?"

"Figured you'd want to talk to him, so we scheduled the interrogation with him for tomorrow."

"You're going to let me interrogate him?" Booth asked him, surprised.

"Only if you can promise not to attack him, but I really don't see anyone else getting the info from him. You gonna do it."

"Of course… You sure I can't smack him a few times though. He did hit me with a pipe a few times…"

"Booth…" Cullen warned.

"Just checking. Had to try." Cullen rolled his eyes.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that."

"Thank you. I've been told that by plenty of people though so it's old news," Booth said smiling. Max laughed. Soon they pulled up to Booth's apartment. Brennan reached down to grab Booth's braces.

"They're still too wet for you so you're going to have to let us help you again. Now, where are your keys?" Cullen handed her a set. All three looked at him.

"You stole my keys!"

"I saw keys on the table and figured you weren't smart enough to take a set as you chased ass out of there." Booth flushed slightly as he realized Cullen was right. Cullen smirked. "Let's get you three inside to dry off."

They slowly made their way inside with Cullen and Max supporting Booth and Brennan unlocking the door. Booth sat on the couch. The three of them were still wet since the towels they had were soaked through. Brennan put the braces on the floor on Booth's right side.

"You know, since you aren't wearing the braces, you should probably at least elevate your leg," she told him.

"Ok," he said, not really in the mood to get into an argument with her. He put his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. "Happy?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes." She sat next to him on the couch.

"Where are your towels, Booth?" Cullen asked.

"Hall closet." Cullen went to the closet and took out a few. He gave them to the other three to dry off. His phone rang as they were drying off.

"Cullen," he answered.

"Sir, we have a problem," Mark's voice said…

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 13, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... **

**I'll also be away on vacation starting Saturday and won't have internet access until I get back so if you want another post before the 24 of July give me 10 reviews for this chapter and I'll post chapter 14...**


	14. Suffering

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_His phone rang as they were drying off._

_"Cullen," he answered._

_"Sir, we have a problem," Mark's voice said…_

* * *

**Killing for Revenge  
****Chapter 14: Suffering**

* * *

"What do you mean by that, Mark?"

"We had Sully in his holding cell and just went to check on him. He's dead, sir. Knife right through the heart."

"How did that happen?"

"We don't know sir. No visitors were signed in for him, but we did check the security feeds. He was alive. The feed went to static. It came back on and he was dead. We haven't touched the scene, but there is a letter in an envelope with Booth's name on it next to the body. Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan should probably come down to process the scene."

"Ok. So why call me and not Booth?"

"I knew you were with them anyway, and I've seen Agent Booth pissed when someone messes with his case and I've heard how he shot a clown. I really don't want to be the one to piss him off. I figured his less likely to get pissed with you than with me."

"Fair enough, however next time I'm not doing your job and you're telling him yourself. We'll be there soon." Cullen hung up. He turned to the others. "Get ready to go. We have a situation. Get your braces on Booth. We need you and Dr. Brennan. You'll have to deal with the wetness."

"What's going on?" Booth asked as Brennan helped him get the braces on. Cullen explained to them what Mark had told him.

"Oh, and Booth," Cullen added once he finished, "no more shooting clowns. Your stories are terrifying the newer agents."

"You shot a clown?" Max asked.

"Hey, it was a paramedic dressed as a clown on Halloween and he shot me first and murdered two girls and attempted to murder a third."

"I think they are more talking about the ice-cream truck clown, otherwise they would have said killed a clown not shot a clown," Brennan told him.

"You shot an ice-cream truck?" Max was shaking his head, almost in disbelief. "Wow… And people say I'm horrible… What did it do to you?"

"Can we just drop this conversation and go?" Booth asked. Cullen was attempting to hide his laughter. Booth stood up and started walking to the door.

"Booth…" Brennan called. He turned around. Brennan pointed to the crutches with a look on her face saying she wasn't taking no for an answer. He picked them up grumbling. Cullen started walking through the door. Booth and Max were behind him with Brennan following them to make sure that Booth didn't ditch the crutches, like she knew he would. Max tapped Booth on the shoulder. Booth looked at him.

"So, are you gay or just crazy?" Max asked. Booth glared. Cullen couldn't stop the laughter anymore. The four of them got into the car that Cullen had driven them back in.

"I don't have my field kit," Brennan said as Cullen started driving.

"We're going to a holding cell. They should have the basics and if not we can get a team brought in quickly," Cullen told her. They fell into silence for the rest of the drive.

* * *

**_The Holding Cell_**

Mark met the car in front of the building. They all quickly got out of the car.

"What do we got, Mark?" Booth asked. Mark started leading them in.

"We found him like this… We checked the cameras and nothing…"

"We'll need those feeds," Booth told him.

"Already packed and ready to be sent to the Jeffersonian after you look at the scene and determine what else needs to be sent. There is also a letter for you next to the body."

"Do you have gloves here so we can examine the scene?" Brennan asked.

"Yes, we put some near the scene for you."

They approached the cell. Brennan grabbed two sets of gloves and handed a pair to Booth.

"What are these for?"

"The letter is addressed to you, but we need to see who wrote it by dusting for fingerprints, and Hodgins may be able to get some particulates off the envelope."

"Any fingerprints won't help probably. That isn't Sully's handwriting and Raddick's prints won't be on file… and you know I hate these things…" Booth said, whining the last part, but putting the gloves on.

"Still there is a chance for something. Open it carefully." She bent over, picked it up, and handed it to him. He opened it and started reading:

"Sarge, you have nothing on me. My associates are expendable. Love for family will be your downfall. I will get what I want by any means necessary. Expect me when you least expect me. You've already lost this next round. Your Friend."

"Ironic how he signed it. What does he mean by 'You've already lost this next round'?" Max asked once Booth finished.

"No idea," Booth responded.

"He proved his point though. He doesn't care for his accomplices. There is no way Sully could have killed himself. The knife hit bone before heart and the angle is wrong," Brennan said from her position next to the body.

"So Raddick killed Sully?"

"I don't do conjecture, but someone killed him."

"So, send everything to the lab."

"Yes."

"You heard her, Mark. Get everything packed and to the lab."

"Yes, sir." Mark hurried to start getting things together, with the help of others on staff. Brennan explained exactly what she wanted. She turned to Booth.

"I'm going to call Cam to let her know we have evidence coming. I'll have them work on the letter first also." Booth nodded as she left to go find a quieter place to talk to the team.

"Kenton still at the hospital?" Booth asked turning to Cullen.

"Yeah, due to be released to prison tomorrow. Why?"

"Can you drive us there? I think Raddick will have probably gone after him too."

"We have agents on the door to his room…"

"And Sully was in a holding cell."

"Good point… Alright, as soon as Dr. Brennan comes back, we'll go."

"Where are we going?" she asked coming back. Booth explained to her what he thought. "Well let's go. Cam knows what to do when everything gets to the lab." Cullen, Max, Brennan, and Booth left for the hospital.

* * *

**_The Hallway with Kenton's Room_**

When they reached the hallway, they immediately noticed something was off. The hall was completely deserted, and the agents were nowhere to be seen.

"I hate to say it, but you might be right, Booth."

"I figured he'd be like his father, vicious enough to do what he wants at any cost. I was hoping I was wrong but…" The four noticed a nurse rushing down the hall. Cullen stopped her.

"Excuse me; do you know where the agents that were stationed up here are?"

She spoke quickly. "No sir, I don't. All free staff were called to the emergency room for a large accident. An oil truck going through a red light collided with a public elementary school bus. Many were instantly killed but we have some with very bad injuries. It's a mess in the ER, trying to identify everyone who was killed and injured."

"What school and when?" Booth asked quickly, doing the math in his head. It was a little after three, which meant Parker should still be on the bus coming home from school. Max made the connection of why Booth was asking and glanced over at him. He could see the fear Booth had for his son and knew that he would be the same why if one of his kids might have been on the bus.

"I don't know what school, but the call came in about 10-15 minutes ago." Booth went a little paler. Cullen noticed and was about to ask if he was ok when he made the connection.

"What about the drivers?"

"Sir, you aren't family. I can't—"

"This may have to do with a case we're working on," Booth said flashing his badge.

"The bus driver was killed instantly and a driver wasn't found for the oil truck." Booth paled even more.

"Thanks," Cullen told her as she left quickly. He turned to Booth. "Go. We'll handle things here." Booth propped his crutches against the wall and started racing down the hall as fast as he could despite the pain it was causing him. Brennan opened her mouth to speak. Max had an idea as to what she was going to say. He figured she wouldn't have made the connection of what time most students leave school because even when little she loved school and normally stayed later.

"Don't," he cut her off as he watched Booth speed down the hall. "School's let out at about three." She made the connection now.

"Parker?"

"Was most likely on that bus since there was no driver for the truck," Cullen told her. Brennan was worried for Booth and Parker. She turned to her father.

"Go with him," she told him.

"Why me and not you?"

"You're a father and unfortunately I think I'm going to be needed here."

"Ok, just get down there as quick as possible. He's going to need you." Brennan nodded as Max followed the direction that Booth went.

"Let's hurry and get down there too," Brennan said walking toward Kenton's room with Cullen following behind her. They opened the door and saw the two agents out cold on the floor and Kenton in the bed with a knife to the heart. Brennan stepped closer to the body, pulling on a pair of gloves that the staff keeps in the rooms. Cullen started to attempt to rouse the agents. Adam was the first to wake.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. We were standing in the hall. The nurses and doctors started rushing around… something about needing help in the ER. Then I remember a huge hit to the back of my head, then nothing. Sorry, sir," he said sitting up and rubbing the back of his head.

"Dr. Brennan?" Cullen was looking for any information she had.

"He was killed the same way Sully was, with similar force. There is also another letter for Booth here. Same handwriting." She pointed to the letter on the table with his Sergeant Booth on it. "What do we do? Give it to him or read it first to see if it is important enough that he needs to deal with it now?"

"I think we should read it first this time. Let him concentrate on getting the information he needs." Brennan picked up the letter and opened it. She read it silently as Cullen read it over her shoulder. It read:

"I bet you have figured out by now that I was the truck driver. My only regret is not being able to watch your son die a horrible and painful death. I'm sure it was painful. Sleep well Agent. You'll hear from me again soon."

"Sick bastard… At least we got a confession from the guy. We just have to tie him to the letter," Cullen said.

"We're analyzing the other one at the lab as well. Hopefully we can tie him to either one," she said while finding a bag in the room to preserve the evidence on the letter.

"Watch the scene," Cullen ordered the two agents, who were now standing. "Dr. Brennan, can you get your team here to process the scene?"

"I'll call them now." Brennan started to take her phone out of her pocket when it started ringing.

"Speak of the devils."

"I don't know what that means." She flipped her phone open. "Brennan."

"It's Cam. We just got the deliveries from the cell. Should we wait on you or get to work?"

"Actually, I was just calling you. We have another scene to process. Kenton's been killed."

"How with the security?"

"You hear about the oil truck colliding with the school bus?"

"It's all over the news on special reports and breaking news. They aren't going into much detail other than many died and others are in critical condition. They aren't saying what school or anything else. Why?"

"We've found out that the truck driver was Raddick. He set it up so that staff here were to occupied to notice him. While the hall was empty he must have snuck in, knocked the agents out, killed Kenton and left. He left a note again… Cam, we're fairly certain it was Parker's bus."

"Is he ok? What about Booth?"

"I don't know. Booth left for the emergency room before we found the note because after we found out there was no driver in the truck he figured Raddick caused the crash and that it was Parker's bus. The note only confirmed it."

"We'll be there soon. Keep Booth calm and sane, and try to prevent him from murdering staff when they refuse to tell him anything."

"My dad's with him now, so hopefully he's got that covered. See you soon." Brennan turned to Cullen. "We should get down to Booth. Our team will be here soon." Cullen nodded. They left the other agents in the room to keep an eye on the scene, but Brennan kept the letter with her. She felt Booth needed to see it. 

* * *

**_The ER's Waiting Room_**

Booth was harassing all of the staff possible, trying to find out if it was his son's bus, and if it was where he was. He was getting nowhere. Max hung back watching. Booth had been at this for a while now. The staff started trying to avoid him, so Booth was left pacing; keeping an eye out for any staff that was unlucky enough to catch his eye. Brennan and Cullen stepped up next to Max, looking at Booth.

"You find anything?" Max asked.

"Kenton's dead and a note was left." Brennan showed him the note and he read through it quickly.

"Son of a bitch… so it was Parker's bus."

"It appears so. Did Booth find out anything?"

"No. They won't tell him anything because, according to them, since the name of the school hasn't been released, he can't possibly know his son was on the bus." Cullen moved away a little from the group as Max was saying this. As Booth moved past him, pacing, he grabbed his good arm and pushed him into a nearby seat, which wasn't that hard given his injuries.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that." Brennan and Max came closer to them.

"That is physically impossible. It wo—" Brennan started to say and was cut off by Booth.

"Just a saying, Bones," he told her. "So did you find anything?"

Cullen spoke. "You were right. Kenton's dead. Your squints are coming to process the scene." Booth nodded.

"What's that?" Booth asked Brennan, noticing the paper in her hand.

"Another note," she told him, grudgingly showing it to him. He read it. When he finished it Brennan could see the absolute fury in him. She sat next to him. "Booth?" She placed a hand over his right one, which he had clenched into a fist. "We'll get him." None of them had noticed Cullen slipping away from the group as Booth read the letter. When Booth looked up, he saw Cullen talking to a doctor. It looked like it was getting to be a decent argument.

"Doesn't he realize I already tried that approach?"

"He might be able to convince them to tell you something though since he's Deputy Director," Brennan told him. They fell into silence for awhile, watching Cullen arguing with multiple different people. Part of the squint squad came into the waiting room. Brennan looked at Cam.

"We looked over the scene and have our techs photographing and packing everything. Wendell and Hodgins are helping." Brennan nodded. "Any information regarding the bus?" She shook her head, but also handed her the letter. She read it quickly. Her eyes widened, but she quickly covered it so Booth wouldn't notice. She didn't know if he saw the letter or not, and really didn't want to be the one to show him the letter. She motioned to Booth, and Brennan actually figured out what she was trying to ask.

"He saw," Brennan told her. Cam nodded. Angela came over to them with a tray of coffees.

"You looked like you could all use a cup." She handed one to each of them. Angela and Cam sat next to them. Max had gone over to Cullen shortly before Angela arrived.

"Booth!" Cullen called. Booth shot up from his seat and quickly went over to them. Cullen came closer as he approached. "They still haven't released the name of the school yet, hell they still aren't sure what school it is because all buses aren't due in to the lot yet, but I convinced them to talk to you because if Parker was on that bus they can identify the other 11 students that were on the bus. Thankfully even though it was a large bus there weren't many of them left since they were toward the end of the route. If they were at the beginning of the route we'd probably be looking at about 35 students."

"The students?"

Cullen shook his head, not really looking forward to delivering this message. "Three critical, the rest either died on impact, when the truck burst and set fire to the bus, on the way here, or in surgery. They aren't sure if any are going to make it. They also don't know who's who. If it is Parker's bus they can alert the other parents." Booth nodded. They approached the doctor and Max.

"Do you have a picture of your son? None of the students had ID on them." Booth wordlessly took out his wallet and a picture of his son. He handed it to the doctor. "I'll be back in a moment. What is his name, just in case?"

"Parker Booth." The doctor went through the swinging doors to the ER. Cam, Brennan, and Angela came over when he left.

"So…?" Cam asked.

"They're looking," Cullen answered. They moved over to seats that were nearby and sat. Brennan put her hand lightly on Booth's right hand, which was on his knee. A few minutes later the doctor came out and handed the picture back to Booth. He slid his hand out from under Brennan's and quickly put the picture in his wallet again. He then took Brennan's hand in his own, neither seemed to notice.

They all sat anxiously waiting for the doctor to speak to find out if it was Parker's bus, and if it was, was he on the bus? Was he injured or dead? None of them for a change could read the look on the doctor's face. The doctor looked at the large group.

"Either way they'll find out. They're family," Booth said.

The doctor opened his mouth to speak…

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 14, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... **

**Ok... so as you can see I'm back from my vacation... I'll still keep the deal of 10 reviews for a chapter and you get a chapter earlier though**


	15. What Else Can Go Wrong?

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_They all sat anxiously waiting for the doctor to speak to find out if it was Parker's bus, and if it was, was he on the bus? Was he injured or dead? None of them for a change could read the look on the doctor's face. The doctor looked at the large group._

_"Either way they'll find out. They're family," Booth said._

_The doctor opened his mouth to speak…_

* * *

**Killing for Revenge  
****Chapter 15: What Else Can Go Wrong?**

* * *

The doctor looked directly at Booth when he spoke. "I'm sorry. Parker was on the bus." Brennan squeezed his hand gently.

"Is he… how is he?" Booth asked, voice shaky.

"He's one of the boys in critical condition. We're contacting all of the other parents now as well." Booth seemed too stunned to speak, so Brennan took over asking the questions.

"How bad is he?"

"He's got very severe burns, both of his arms are broken, most of his ribs are broken; one partially punctured a lung. He has a fairly bad concussion and some gashes that required stitches. He may have some brain damage. We can't be sure. He may not wake up. The thing that saved him was his seatbelt otherwise he would have died on impact."

"So, he hasn't been conscious?"

"No."

"Can we see him?"

"He's in the ICU, in critical condition, so only immediate family."

"Go," Brennan said looking to Booth.

"I—I should call Rebecca," Booth said finding his voice.

"Go, I'll call her. You should go be with your son. I'll tell her to get over here." Booth nodded and got up to follow the doctor. They went through the doors to the ICU.

"Why Booth again?" Cam asked.

"You heard Booth. Raddick wants to hurt his family," Brennan said moving away from the group to call Rebecca. Angela saw the doctor come back out of ICU and moved to talk to him.

"What's she doing?" Cullen asked.

"I have no idea, but I'm fairly sure, knowing her, that you aren't going to want to know," Cam told him. A couple moments later, Angela came back. "What was that about?"

"You'll see," Angela said with a wicked smile. Brennan then came over to the group.

"She'll be here soon. She also knows already. She wouldn't let me off the phone until I told her what was going on," Brennan told them. "What?" she asked Angela when she saw the wicked look on her face. She realized Angela was up to something.

"Get up there with your hot FBI agent."

"I can't, I'm not immediate family with Parker." Angela's smile got wider.

"Noooo, but I spoke to the doctor and told him you had a relationship with his father; he didn't ask me to specify relationship so…" Brennan quickly hugged her.

"Thanks, Ange."

"Go." Brennan released her and went through the doors Booth had gone through before.

"Sneaky, Angela. Nice," Cam told her smiling. Angela just shrugged.

"Yeah well, she needs to be up there too." The group had decided not to leave and stayed waiting in the waiting room.

* * *

**_Parker's Hospital Room_**

Brennan eventually found her way to the door of his room. She went in quietly. Booth was sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs that was practically on top of the bed. He was holding Parker's left hand gently in his right. Parker was hooked up to many monitors, machines, and a respirator to help him breathe. He looked even smaller and weaker than normal. Brennan saw that Booth was partially hunched over the bed with his eyes closed. She could see he was trying to hold himself together.

Brennan stepped quietly into the room, but Booth could sense her presence. He opened his eyes and turned to look at her. She could see the confusion in his red eyes. She could also see that the normal spark in his eyes was absent. "Angela told the doctor we have a relationship and he didn't ask any questions about the type of relationship so…" She told Booth as he turned back to his son again. She stepped up to just behind him and to his left and put her hand gently on his back, rubbing lightly up and down, trying to provide comfort.

"Remind me to thank her," he said, sounding a little hoarse from the emotional strain of everything.

"She knows." They fell into silence for a while. Brennan's voice eventually broke the silence. "Are we?" she asked.

Booth's eyes found hers as he shifted in his seat slightly to look at her. "Are we what?"

"In a relationship."

"Well we're really close, good friends, and partners. Hell some would probably argue that we're closer than a lot of married couples."

"Does that make it that we're in a relationship? I mean logically speaking, Angela meant that we were in a romantic relationship, and we must have appeared to fit the receipt…"

"Bill. Fit the bill," Booth told her with a hint of a smile on his face.

"Oh…well, we must have fit the bill for the doctor to not question it at all, so the only thing really missing from our relationship with their definition is the kissing and sex." He winced slightly at her bluntness toward the end, but she also saw a bit of the normal spark he has in his eyes come back.

"Bones, are you trying to logic your way into a relationship?" Booth smiled.

"I don't know, am I?"

"You're the genius, you tell me." Booth leaned into her a little, not really aware he was doing so.

"Not when it comes to heart stuff." Booth put his hand behind her head and gently pulled it down giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"We can handle this, just like everything else we've done. We'll do it together. We'll go slow if we need to. But let me concentrate on Parker and getting this Bastard first please. You and your genius brain may be able to process multiple new things at the same time but my brain isn't that big." He said the last part with a teasing voice and smile.

"Sure." She smiled back slightly and kissed him on the cheek. She then turned more serious. "How is he?"

Booth looked to his son. "I don't know."

Brennan sat in the seat next to him and continued to rub his back. "Parker's strong."

"I hope so." They sat in silence for some time again. Rebecca eventually came in, looking frantic and terrified. Booth stood up as she came in and hugged her.

"I spoke to the doctor on the way up. He told me what happened." She was sobbing hysterically, but pulled back. Rebecca took the seat Booth just vacated. Booth moved to the other side of the bed and kissed Parker gently on the forehead.

"Call me if anything changes," he told them.

"Where are you going?" Brennan asked him.

"Rebecca's here now. I'm going find Raddick so he can't be hurting my family anymore," Booth said starting to leave.

"I'm coming."

"No, stay here with Rebecca…please," he said to her, sounding like he was ready to beg.

"You need my help."

"Please, Bones, I don't want to be worrying about you too while I'm hunting him. They need you here more. I don't think he'll come back here because he thinks Parker was killed, but if he does there's no one I trust more than you to keep yourself and them safe."

Brennan sighed. "Be careful, and keep me updated." Booth nodded, continuing out the door. "Booth," she called. He turned around. "Take my dad with you. He might be able to help."

"No way, I will not be the one to send him to jail again. He sees Raddick and he'll kill him. I really don't want to handle all that paperwork. I'd much rather someone who can legally kill him kill him," Booth said as he left, not giving her time to argue.

"Stubborn ass, alpha male always—" she cut herself off when she heard Rebecca's slight chuckle.

"That's Seeley for you. Being with him is certainly never boring, but you've known that for a while. That was one of the major problems in our relationship and one of the biggest obstacles we couldn't overcome… Where do you think he's going?"

"I don't know. I'm not really sure he knows either." The two fell into silence, looking over Parker.

* * *

**_The Waiting Room of the ER_**

Most of the team had left, choosing to go to the lab to work on the new evidence from the cell and hospital. Cullen and Max remained in the waiting room. They saw Booth coming back through the doors. The two men stood up and walked to meet him about halfway between where they were and the doors.

"What's going on, Booth? How's Parker?" Max asked.

"I really don't know. He's out and you heard the doctor. Where are the squints?" Booth asked when he noticed that none of them were there.

"They went to the lab to process the evidence from the two scenes to help you get Raddick," Cullen told him. "What's going on?" he asked Booth, knowing that when his daughter was in the hospital, he never really wanted to leave her. He knew the situations were different, but he thought that Booth was going to have to be dragged out of the room at some point so he could rest too.

"I'm not just going to sit around waiting for him to make the next move. I'm done with being multiple steps behind him," Booth said moving to leave the waiting room and hospital.

"Hold on, you're out of your mind," Max said grabbing his right arm to stop the agent from leaving. "Think things through for a minute. Do you even have any clue as to where he is or how you'd get there? What about once you get there? You can't go alone."

"What are you getting at, Max?" Booth asked, hoping to finish the conversation quickly.

"You need help. We should go to the lab and find out what they have. They have two notes from the guy, maybe he gave a hint as to what he's planning next in one of them."

"What do you mean by 'we'?" Booth asked.

"I'm going with you. You're the one who dragged me into this. If you wanted someone who was going to do the job half-assed or not see it through to the end you should have gone looking to someone else."

"I agree with Max, surprisingly. Just he does not get a weapon. The paperwork, for charging him with crimes, is annoying to fill out, and I don't want to have them need to be filled out again. You need the help Booth. I also called Mark, Pat, and Tom. Mark's on his way to the lab, and Pat and Tom are on their way here to guard your son's room, just in case." Cullen handed Max the keys to the car he drove here. "You both get to the lab and get new information we need. I'll wait until Pat and Tom get here to head back to the FBI." Booth nodded, knowing that he was lucky that Cullen was going to allow him to continue working the case. He figured, if he had to, he could argue things later. Max and Booth left. Cullen went over to a chair and sat, waiting for the other two agents to show up.

* * *

**_The Car_**

"You're quiet," Max said.

"Yeah, thinking."

"Don't hurt yourself," Max said smiling.

"Ha ha," Booth said sarcastically.

"Seriously, what are you thinking?"

"I'm just trying to think things through. Where he would go next? Who he's going to try to attack next."

"Maybe there will be clues in the two letters. Just relax, Booth."

"My son is currently lying in the hospital and you want me to relax?"

"If you don't relax, you're going to screw up."

"Yeah, thanks for that."

"It's the truth. You don't clear out your thoughts, you're going to miss something important. I know it's easier said than done, but you need to put thoughts of Parker out of your mind. You can't help him heal right now, but you can get this asshole in jail."

"He probably won't be going to jail."

Max didn't know what to say to that, so they fell silent for the remainder of the ride to the lab.

* * *

**_The Lab_**

Booth and Max walked into the lab. Cam, Hodgins, and Wendell were on the platform, going over the new evidence from the two scenes. Booth scanned himself and Max up onto the platform.

"Got anything useful for me squints? Mark here?"

"Not from my end. Sorry, Booth," Hodgins told him. "Any elements I found at the scene belonged either there or at any of the locations we've been to. And he just called, stuck in traffic. It's gonna take awhile for him to get here." Booth nodded.

"We can tell you that both of them were murdered by the same person, based on the calculations of the force and angle, but that's all we have from the bodies for now. We're working on running tox screens, just in case," Cam told him.

"Anything with the letters?"

"Angela is working on those in her office now," Cam said. Booth nodded and left for Angela's office. Max started to follow him, but Cam called him back. He turned his head to her.

"How's Parker doing, do you know?"

"Let's just say when Booth finds Raddick that he better be hoping that Booth has gotten better news on the condition of his son because otherwise I really don't think he's going to need to worry about being put on death row." Max continued following Booth, and caught up to him quickly.

* * *

**_Angela's Office_**

Booth and Max walked into the office. Angela heard them enter and looked up. She was at the computer and had been imputing information.

"Hey. How's Parker?" she asked.

"Got anything on the letters?" She got the message that he wanted to avoid discussing Parker and let the subject drop, for now.

"I have been comparing the two notes and they are definitely written by the same person. They were also checked for fingerprints and other evidence, but nothing was found. I can't tell you if Raddick is the one who wrote them because I don't know his handwriting, but I did check it with Sully's and Kenton's handwriting and neither matched."

"Do you have any leads on where he might go next based on what he said in the letters?"

"The only thing that could even hint to a location, from what I can see anyway, is this statement here." She enlarged the statement on her computer screen. 'Sleep well Agent'.

"How does that give us a location?"

"It may not, but I was looking carefully at the letters and envelopes." She highlighted three words on the computer. Booth noticed what she had seen.

"Oh, wow, how'd you catch that?"

"What?" Max asked, not seeing it yet.

"His 'Sleep Well' line is the only time he addressed me as 'Agent' on the two envelopes it says 'Sergeant Booth' and he starts the first letter as 'Sarge'."

"Oh. You're thinking that by addressing him as agent with the words sleep well in front of them that he is going to go to Booth's apartment."

"I don't know if he's that intelligent, but it's the best I can come up with."

"Thanks, Ange," Booth said as he turned to leave. Max following him, knowing he wanted to get to his apartment.

"Booth," Angela called after him. He turned his head. "Don't forget, we're all here if you need help. All you have to do is ask."

"Thanks," he said and continued out, with Max following.

As they were heading to the doors, Sweets came in. "Agent Booth, I've been looking for you. You and Dr. Bre—"

"Not now, Sweets," Booth cut him off, as him and Max walked through the door.

"But…" Sweets started to follow, but was stopped by Cam's voice on the platform.

"Save it, Sweets," she said.

"But they missed their session again."

"They've had more important things to deal with this afternoon, and you can't have been too pissed since it's nearing midnight. What are you doing here this late anyway?"

"I figured, with how close to this case Booth is, that they would be here, and it only took me this long to get here because I had other patients to deal with and other work that needed to be completed. Where's Dr. Brennan anyway? She wasn't with Booth and Max leaving, so is she still here?"

"No. Come to think of it, she didn't come in with them, so Booth must have left her at the hospital."

"The hospital?" Sweets squeaked. "What happened? Is she ok?"

"You didn't hear about it?"

"Hear about what?"

"The bus crash," Hodgins said joining the conversation.

"I heard about that, but what's that got to do with Dr. Brennan being in the hospital?"

"Booth probably left Dr. B. with Parker."

"Huh? Now I'm really confused."

"Raddick was the oil truck driver. It was Parker's bus. Booth wants to get Raddick asap, but he wouldn't have wanted Parker to be alone, so he probably managed to convince Brennan to stay with him and to call if anything changes."

"Oh man. I had no idea. I figured it was just one of those freak accidents. How's everyone holding up? How's Parker?"

"Parker is one of the students who survived so far, but he's not good. Their hoping but… As for how everyone is doing, I have no idea."

"Where's Booth going now?"

"His apartment probably," Angela said coming out of her office. "We think Raddick's there or left something there."

"Dude, I would really hate to be Raddick in Booth's apartment right now," Hodgins said.

"Why do you say that?" Sweets asked.

"I saw how pissed he was when Kenton hurt Dr. B. years ago. Raddick had her taken by Sully and almost killed Parker. I would definitely not want to be him right now…"

"Yeah…" Sweets said as he realized Hodgins was right. Booth could be downright terrifying if he had to be. "You don't think he's going to do something stupid, right?"

"I've known the Booth boy's for 15 years," Cam said, "and he's with Max. They have definitely thought of something stupid by now."

"But will he do it?"

"He's Booth."

"So…"

"It's possible. You know him too. When his family is in danger nothing stops him."

"At least I didn't have a chance to show him that letter yet," Angela said.

"What letter?" Sweets asked.

"A letter was found in a waterproof safe in Sully's boat," Hodgins said.

"Definitely written by Sully. Booth and Bren should see it first though before we fill you in."

"Ok, if the information isn't important to the case."

"It will be important to them, but won't change any actions that Booth would take. Actually, if Booth read the note already he might want to hurt Raddick even more," Angela said.

"So what do we do now?"

"We keep going over evidence and if they call we find out what they need and get it done," Cam said. 

* * *

**_The Car_**

Max and Booth climbed into the car. Max started the car. Before he pulled out of the parking space, he turned to look at Booth.

"So what do you want to do?"

"You know what I want to do."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm done with playing his games." Max pulled out and headed for Booth's apartment.

"So what's the plan?"

"We go in and I take him out."

"You trying to kill him or keep him alive?"

"Whatever works."

"And if he's not there?"

"Hopefully he'll have left a message as to where he is."

"Your plan sucks."

"Why do you say that?"

"You pretty much have no plan. What happens when you go in and he's expecting you? You're injured. You're both expecting the other. He's got the upper-hand."

"Just make sure he doesn't get away if something happens."

"But—" Booth cut Max off before he could continue.

"He hurt my son. Our first and only goal is to get him." Max nodded, knowing he wasn't going to get Booth to change his mind. They fell into silence for the rest of the drive. 

* * *

**_Booth's Apartment_**

Max and Booth were walking down the hall to his third floor apartment. Booth had his gun in his right hand and keys in his left.

"Stay behind me," he told Max as they approached his door. Booth put his key in the lock, but before he could turn it, they heard a gunshot. A bullet went through the door and Booth hit the floor.

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 15, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... **

**Ok... I'll still keep the deal of 10 reviews for a chapter and you get a chapter earlier though so review please...**


	16. Closing in on the Enemy?

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_Max and Booth were walking down the hall to his third floor apartment. Booth had his gun in his right hand and keys in his left._

_"Stay behind me," he told Max as they approached his door. Booth put his key in the lock, but before he could turn it, they heard a gunshot. A bullet went through the door and Booth hit the floor._

* * *

**Killing for Revenge  
****Chapter 16: Closing in on the Enemy?**

* * *

"Booth!" Max called as the agent landed.

"Go. Stop Raddick," Booth grunted.

Max wasn't happy about it, but did as Booth asked. He stepped over Booth, who was lying on his right side, and turned the key in the lock, quickly opening the door. He went into the apartment, quickly scanning it for any sign of Raddick. He saw that the window was open and that there was a rope ladder hanging from it. Max moved back into the hallway. Booth had managed to prop himself up in a seated position next to his door, left hand covering the bullet hole in his right side. He looked up at Max.

"Sorry, Booth, he was prepared. There was a rope ladder out the window. He was long gone. You ok?" He crouched down next to Booth.

"Fine," Booth grunted. "Did he leave anything behind?"

"I didn't look. I figured get the squints to go over the apartment again. And don't lie, Booth. You were just shot, again. We should get you back to the hospital, to get that bullet hole looked at."

"No. It's not that bad. We need to keep after Raddick."

"Lean forward."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not agreeing unless the bullet went all the way through and you agree to at least let Cam look at it."

"Fine, but I don't need to lean forward," Booth said pointing with his right hand to the wall directly across from his door. Max looked at the wall and saw the bullet partially in the wall.

"Alright, just try not to move too much. If the bullet hit anything important you'd probably be unconscious by now. It most likely hit muscle though, which will make moving painful. We need to stop the bleeding though." At that point, Mark came walking down the hall.

"I was told I could probably find you both here. What happened?" Mark asked, noticing Booth sitting on the floor and Max next to him.

"Raddick shot Booth through the door and got away."

"We should call the squints and get them to process my apartment and get the bullet from the wall," Booth said.

"I thought we were going to the lab to get Cam to look at your bullet hole."

"Yeah, but she'll need to come here too, so it might make more sense for all of them to just come here."

"If you need stitches she probably will only have what she needs at the lab," Max said.

"It's not that bad. The bleeding is slowing, and if I need stitches, we can always improvise. Can you call them?"

"Fine, but I'm telling her to bring her medical kit too then." Max took out his phone and dialed Cam's number. He waited for her to pick up. "Hey, Cam. It's Max. Can you and the rest of the squints get down to Booth's place. Raddick was here and we have a bullet in the wall and a scene to go over." He listened to her response. "Great. Oh and bring your medical kit too. Booth got shot again and is refusing to go to the hospital." He listened to here for a few moments before cutting her off. "Great, see you soon, bye." He hung up and looked at Booth. "Good luck. She's really not happy with your stubbornness right now."

"That's Cam for you."

"Let's at least get you onto your couch," Mark said. "Then, I'll come back out here to make sure nothing happens with that bullet in the wall."

"I got it," Booth said, pulling himself up, using the wall as support. He winced slightly as the bullet hole pulled a little as the muscles moved. He walked into his apartment, with Max following. Booth sat on his couch.

"You ok?" Max asked.

"You know I'm not a complete invalid, right? You can stop asking me that every five minutes."

"Ok, ok. I get the message." He saw Booth looking around the room carefully. "What's up?"

"Something doesn't feel right. I can't explain it but something feels off, like we're missing something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. It just seems like I'm missing something."

"You think we're being watched?"

"I don't know; I don't think so but…"

"You never know."

"Things just don't make sense. He figured we'd come here. Why leave? He leads us to a place, stays till we arrive, then leaves. It doesn't make sense. It's like he wants us to find him, then he changes his mind." Booth rubbed his eyes and the bridge of his nose with his injured arm, trying to block out the headache Raddick was starting to cause. "Did you take a full look around?"

"No, I saw the ladder and went to make sure you were still alive."

"Alright," Booth said, rising from the couch.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a look around, making sure he didn't just try to throw us off with the ladder."

Max pushed him gently back onto the couch. "Look, let me handle that. Sit here. Try to stop the bleeding so that Cam can decide you don't need stitches. I'll let you know if I find anything." Max walked away before Booth could start arguing with him.

"Can you bring me a clean shirt from my closet too on the way back," Booth called.

"Ok," Max called. He searched the apartment slowly, as they both also stayed silent. He came back into the room a few minutes later, with a fresh shirt. "There's a note on your bed addressed to you again. I didn't touch it. I figured wait for the team to bring gloves so that we don't contaminate evidence." Booth nodded as Max put the shirt on the couch next to him.

Cam, Hodgins, and Angela came into the apartment carrying any supplies they thought they might need. Wendell stayed out in the hall so that he could attempt to remove the bullet from the wall, like Cam requested. Hodgins and Angela started to look for anything out of place, while Cam went over to Booth.

"Ok, let's see how bad it is this time. Lift your shirt." Booth lifted his shirt slightly and Cam remembered at that point that he still had his ribs wrapped. "Actually, you're going to need to remove the shirt so that I can remove the wrap to treat the bullet hole properly." Booth removed his shirt. "Hold still," she warned him as she carefully unwrapped his ribs. She quickly looked at the bullet hole. "Looks like you lucked out. It's mostly stopped bleeding, so if I put a bandage on it and wrap your wrap a little tighter to keep pressure on it you should be good to go, as long as you don't stretch the muscles there too much."

"Sounds better than stitching me up." Cam quickly did as she just explained. When she finished, Booth put the fresh shirt on. "You have a pair of gloves and evidence bag? According to Max, there's another note for me on my bed."

"Here," she said, handing him the items from her case. He grabbed them and made his way to his bedroom, putting on the gloves that he absolutely hated.

When he got to the bedroom, he picked up the letter that was on the bed. The others came into the room behind him, so he read the letter to them. He took note, however, of the fact that he was being addressed as Sergeant Booth on the envelope. He read:

"You're getting slow. You've known for awhile where I'll be next. Look for me where there is the least of them. Hurry up. I'm losing patience which will make things worse for you. When you fail to get me again, who do you want me to end next? Your Tormentor and the Winner."

"Ok, this guy is sick," Angela said.

"We need to figure out what he meant and quickly," Cam told them.

"He's where there was the least of them, whatever that means," Hodgins spoke.

"He's talking about evidence that we have already. Question is, what evidence?" Booth asked.

"I've got it. The pictures. They have all of us at different points in different locations. Figure out what location there is the least of them and we know where he is," Angela said.

"Great. Let's get back to the lab to go over the pictures," Booth said.

"You, Max and Angela go," Cam told him. "Hodgins, Wendell and I still have more to look at here. We'll meet you there soon."

"We'll see you soon," Max said as they headed to the car that he drove here, so that they could head to the lab. The remaining three went back to looking for more evidence.

* * *

**_Angela's Office_**

The three of them walked into her office, and Angela went over to her computer. She pulled up scans of all of the photos that were taken.

"Ok, so now we just have to figure out where each of these were taken and which location has the least amount of photos," Angela said.

The three of them worked for awhile, sorting the photos into different files on the computer based upon the location. Most of the photos had the diner, lab, or Founding Father's. Some were of them at Sid's as well.

"Damn. He's been tracking me for awhile if he has photos from there. We haven't been there in awhile." They continued to go through the pictures until they were all in files. Angela then looked to see which file had the least amount of photos. She clicked on the file that only had one picture.

"Oh my god," Angela said when she processed where the picture was taken. She glanced at Booth trying to gauge his reaction. Max looked between the two, trying to figure out the significance of the place.

"What?" Max asked.

"That's the Checker Box," Angela told Max.

"Yeah. I've heard of the place. They do karaoke. What's significant about it?"

"We went for one case. Booth ended up getting a stalker during the case and when we finished the case…" Angela started, but was cut off by Booth

"Bones was singing 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' on stage. The stalker I had thought that she was what was getting in between me and her. She called my name, said she was doing this for 'us', and aimed at Bones…"

"Booth stood up in front of Bren, and took the bullet in the chest."

"So…not a place you're fond of."

"No. You going to be ok to go back, Booth?"

"Don't have much of a choice. Just don't tell Bones."

"Why?" Max asked.

"Because she was told I died in surgery because the FBI decided to fake my death and Sweets decided she didn't need to be told I was still alive, even though I was quite clear she needed to be told, so she spent two weeks thinking I was dead. You can imagine how well that reunion went," Booth said getting pissed about that situation again.

"How hard did she hit you?" Max asked with slight amusement, knowing the fury she was capable of.

"She's got a mean right hook, I'll tell you that much," Booth said rubbing his jaw at the memory. "Decked me at my own funeral, then swore she wouldn't be at my next." Max laughed.

"That's Tempe for you."

"We should head out, before he leaves again. Angela can you wait here and let Cam and the others know where we are."

"Ok. Booth, be careful. He chose the Checker Box for a reason."

"I know. Just have to figure that reason out."

"Good luck." Max and Booth left the office to go back to the car.

* * *

**_The Car_**

Booth was oddly quiet in the car again.

"What are you thinking now?" Max asked.

"Trying to figure out why he chose the Checker Box."

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?"

"You have?" Booth asked, raising an eyebrow, looking toward Max.

"Sure," Max said giving Booth a slight glace. "I think, anyway. I'm fairly sure that he's trying to tell you he's done playing. You went there once and was almost killed. He's goal is to end you and he wants to make that clear."

"You think it's that simple what he's looking for?"

"Yeah." Booth fell silent again, thinking things over.

* * *

**_The Checker Box_**

Max pulled the car into one of the spaces in front of the Checker Box. He turned off the car and started to reach to the door handle to get out of the car and go in.

"Wait," Booth said.

"What?"

"He won't be in there. He's somewhere around here, but if you're right with your theory that he's looking to end this, he won't be inside." Booth was scanning the area, looking for ideas as to where he was. He got an idea and took out his phone to call Angela.

"Hey Ange; it's Booth. Can you text me that picture?... Thanks." He hung up the phone. A couple moments later his phone beeped and Booth opened the photo on his phone. He took a look at it, then scanned the area more closely. "There," Booth told Max, pointing to an alley across the street. "He took the picture from that alley. I'm guessing that's where he is. We should drive around the block and go in from the other side."

"No, we shouldn't. He's been watching you closely. He knows your moves. He'll figure that you'll want to either split up, one of us taking each side, or go in from the other. That's the side he'll be watching. We should both go in from this side."

"Ok." Booth went to open the door.

"Wait, that's it. You're giving in that easily. I thought I was going to have to convince you more."

"You're the professional criminal. I don't see the point in wasting time arguing when you'd probably know more than me on the subject of cop watching." Booth opened the door and climbed out, removing his gun from it's holster. He walked around the car to meet Max by the trunk. "Ready?" Max nodded. "We cross the street here; backs to the wall, we slowly make our way to the entrance."

"Then what?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead. I figured see what happens."

They crossed the street and slowly made their way to the entrance. Booth had his gun ready, just in case. Booth was in front of Max and peeked around the corner, carefully. There was a dumpster and garbage bags along the wall of the building that they were in front of. Nothing was on the opposite side, but there was a doorway with the door shut of that building that looked like it hadn't been opened in years. Booth turned back to face Max.

"I don't see any movement, but I could be wrong. Cover me," he whispered. Booth moved into the alley, with Max close behind him. As they moved slowly down the alley Booth caught movement at the other end. The shadows caused it to be too dark to see who it was. He picked up the pace, as much as he could, and tackled the person to the ground. They both groaned.

"Oww, Booth."

"Mark, What the hell!" Booth said, angrily, getting up slowly. Mark got up as well.

"When I got to the lab, Angela told me where I could find both of you. I was driving down the block when I saw both of you getting ready to go down this alley. I figured I should come in from this side in case you needed help. I didn't think you were going to attack me."

"Yeah well next time don't be sneaking around a dark alley," Booth practically growled. Mark flinched at his anger.

"Sor—" Mark started to apologize when Booth cut him off.

"Shh…You hear that?" Booth whispered. They all listened closely. After a few moments, they heard what Booth was talking about. There was a small thump coming from the dumpster. Booth started to move back toward the dumpster.

"Booth," Max whispered to get his attention. Booth looked to Max. Max pointed to Booth's side where there was a large and fresh patch of blood spreading on his shirt. "You tore the hole."

"I felt that. I'm fine," Booth said, not leaving it up for discussion and not willing to admit to the pain he was in from everything. He continued moving to the dumpster. Max and Mark followed. Booth motioned for Max to get ready to grab whoever or whatever was in the dumpster when he opened the lid and motioned for Mark to stand back.

"Wait," Mark said.

"What!" Booth hissed.

"Maybe you should stand back. You're the better shot if it comes to it."

"Ok," Booth agreed, knowing that he had a point. They switched spots.

"On three," Max said. Mark grabbed the lid. "One…Two…Three…" Mark quickly opened the lid and both stepped forward, reflexively. They were hit with a smell that was not trash. Max figured it was some sort of chemical or gas as both Mark and himself lost consciousness. Booth had started to step forward when he heard the door behind him swing open. He tried to turn around quickly, but felt a taser press into his lower back and his world went dark as he hit the pavement.

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 16, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... **

**Ok... I'll still keep the deal of 10 reviews for a chapter and you get a chapter earlier though so review please...**


	17. Dead End?

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_"On three," Max said. Mark grabbed the lid. "One…Two…Three…" Mark quickly opened the lid and both stepped forward, reflexively. They were hit with a smell that was not trash. Max figured it was some sort of chemical or gas as both Mark and himself lost consciousness. Booth had started to step forward when he heard the door behind him swing open. He tried to turn around quickly, but felt a taser press into his lower back and his world went dark as he hit the pavement._

* * *

**Killing for Revenge  
****Chapter 17: Dead End?**

* * *

**_The Lab_**

Cam, Hodgins, and Wendell were on the platform going over the new evidence from Booth's apartment. Angela was in her office, comparing the letters and making sure they were written by the same person. Hodgins was attempting to get information on the bullet that Wendell pulled from the wall. Cam came over to Hodgins.

"Find anything?" she asked him.

Hodgins shook his head. "Not much. He didn't use the same rifle. His standard sniper rifle used a .50 caliber and this one doesn't match. I'm fairly certain this one is of a .45 caliber. I'd say he's got himself a new gun, but I'm having problems matching it to a gun."

"At least it's something." After Cam said this, Angela scanned herself up onto the platform.

"The letter on Booth's bed was definitely written by the same person as the letter in the jail and hospital."

"And the letter found on Sully's boat?"

"I got the FBI to scan me a page that he wrote from one of his reports. The handwriting matches."

"Ok. Now that we know that, we should definitely show Brennan and Booth it, when this is over. It might give them some comfort on why Sully helped Raddick."

"Speaking of Booth, shouldn't he have been back here with Max and Mark by now, or shouldn't they have at least called by now to tell us what was going on."

Cam looked at her watch. "You're right. Maybe they didn't have a chance to. I'll give Booth a call now." Cam took out her phone and dialed Booth's cell. It rang for awhile, then went to voicemail. Cam hung up without leaving a message. She tried Max and got the same results. "Anybody know Mark's cell phone number?" The team shook their heads. "This isn't good." She looked to Angela. "You said they went to the Checker Box right?"

"Yeah."

"Ok people, let's move. There may be something wrong."

"Shouldn't we call the FBI," Angela asked.

"By the time they get agents out there things may be worse for them," Hodgins said.

"He's right," Cam told her. "We're better off going because if it turns out to be a scene we're also first on it and no one has had a chance to contaminate it." The four of them left the platform to go and find the others.

* * *

**_In Front of the Checker Box_**

"There's the car Max and Booth took," Hodgins said pointing to the car parked directly in front of the Checker Box. The spot in front of the car also happened to be free, so Cam pulled into it. The four of them got out of the car. Cam started walking around the car, following Angela and Hodgins to go into the place.

"Um, guys," Wendell said standing next to the back door on the driver's side, that he just came out from.

"What is it, Wendell?" Cam asked, as the three of them turned around to face him.

"Please tell me I'm just seeing things, but are those two bodies over there?" he asked pointing to the alley.

"Good eye, Wendell," Cam said as they changed the way they were headed quickly.

They got to the entrance of the alley and discovered that the two bodies crumpled on the floor were Max and Mark. Cam knelt next to Max as Wendell went to Mark to try and rouse them. It took a few moments but they eventually started coming to. As Max came to, he noticed Hodgins moving to the dumpster, getting ready to open the lid.

"Don't open that," Max said quickly, while shooting up to a seated position. Hodgins quickly jumped back, startled.

"What? Why?" He asked panicked.

"We opened it when we heard a thump coming from it, Some sort of chemical made us pass out right after it was opened," Max said as Mark sat up slowly.

"Ok. We're going to want to get it to the Jeffersonian before we open it then," Cam said.

"Hey, guys?" Angela asked, concerned. "Where's Booth?"

Max and Mark looked around. "Shit," Mark said. "Raddick must have been hiding inside that building with the door closed. He must've gotten Booth."

"Hey guys, we got blood over here," Wendell said pointing to a pool of blood in front of the door. It wasn't that large, but it wasn't that small either.

"That's definitely not good," Cam said, taking out her cell phone. She called the lab and asked for the techs to get out here. She hung up once they confirmed they were on their way. "Who wants the privilege of calling Cullen?" There was silence.

Mark sighed. "I guess that job should fall to me." He took out his phone and started dialing the numbers like it was a death sentence. He let out a sigh of relief when it went to voicemail and quickly left a message for him to either call him back or to call one of the squints. They waited in silence for the lab techs to arrive, all worrying about Booth.

After some time the lab techs appeared. Everyone quickly got to work taping off the crime scene, taking pictures and collecting evidence and particulates. They were also taking the dumpster to the lab. Cam wanted to see if they could figure out what gassed Mark and Max. Mark and Max hung around in the background, knowing that they would not be much help. Cam went over to them shortly after everyone started working.

"Has Cullen called back yet?" she asked them.

"No he hasn't," Mark told her. Cam nodded.

"He's probably still at the hospital, making sure things are running smoothly there. Max, can you get down there and let him know what has happened and also keep an eye on Parker and your daughter?"

"I can do that. You don't need me here?"

"I think you're needed more there. We've got things pretty much under control here." Cam handed him the keys to the car. Max nodded and went to the car.

"Need my help with anything?" Mark asked.

"Not right now. I'll let you know. I think we're almost done here anyway. There isn't much."

"Alright, let me know if you need something." Cam walked back to the other techs to continue collecting evidence.

* * *

**_The Hospital_**

Max walked into the waiting room that he had just been in a little while ago. He spotted Cullen sitting in one of the chairs and started to approach. Cullen looked up when he sensed someone approaching him.

"Max? I thought you were with Booth?"

"Yeah, I was but we ran into a few problems." Max proceeded to tell Cullen about what had happened, that they had tried to contact him, and why he was there.

"So, he's got Booth. Shit, that's not good."

"No, but there is possibly some good news."

"What?"

"Myself and Mark were already out cold. I think he's out of accomplices because if he still had help he wouldn't have left us behind. He's been tracking Booth for years so I'm pretty sure your FBI leak is either Sully or Kenton as well."

"I hope you're right because that would make things a little easier…You should probably get up to your daughter and Booth's son."

"Yeah…Not looking forward to that conversation…"

"I don't blame you. Good luck." Max started walking to the room he knew that they were in.

* * *

**_Parker's Hospital Room_**

Max opened the door to the room and Brennan and Rebecca stopped talking about whatever it was that they were discussing to look at who entered.

"Dad, what are you doing here? I thought you were with Booth."

"Yeah…things didn't go too well…"

"What does that mean?" Rebecca asked him. Max explained to both of them the events that happened from the time they left for the lab until they woke in the alley. He also told them how the squints were still going over the alley for any leads.

"So…this guy, who hurt my son, now has Seeley?"

"Yes."

"Was there any evidence in the alley as to where he would take Booth?"

"Your team is going over every inch of that alley. They'll let us know if they find anything. I also think he's working alone now because he didn't take me and Mark. If he had help he wouldn't have left witnesses."

"So what do we do now?" Rebecca asked,

"We wait for the team to find a new lead and pray it comes soon."

"Dad, he was getting more violent as he was going."

"I know…How's Parker?" Max asked, trying to change the subject.

"The doctor is amazed that he's still fighting with how bad his injuries are," Rebecca said with a tear running down her cheek.

"No doubt who his father is. They're both fighters," Max told her, looking at Parker.

"Parker's strong," Brennan added.

"I really hope you're right," Rebecca said. The group fell into silence, looking over Parker and making sure that no one, that was not supposed to be there, came through the door.

* * *

**_The Lab_**

The team had made it back to the lab with the evidence fairly quickly. The team was on the platform or in their offices going over the evidence from the alley. Hodgins and Wendell were on the platform as Cam scanned herself up.

"Got anything?" she asked them.

"Not yet. Scanner is still trying to figure out what this chemical is that knocked out Max and Mark."

"Chemical? I thought Max said it was a gas."

"He probably figured it was a gas with how quick he went out. From what I found in the dumpster though, it's probably a chemical of some sort. Did you find anything?" Hodgins asked.

"Both pools of blood in the alley match Booth. I'm figuring Raddick snuck up on him and got him out cold somehow; Booth wouldn't have gone down without some evidence of a struggle otherwise."

Hodgins' computer beeped. He went over to it. "Hmm…seems he used a mixture of chloroform and ether. We have it in the form of a liquid so he must have put enough of it in open containers that would make them pass out when they stood over the dumpster. There isn't enough here to make them pass out that fast and it wouldn't have evaporated that quickly with the lid closed."

"So you're saying that he has Booth and at least one more larger container of a highly flammable liquid with him."

"Yes, unfortunately that is exactly what I'm saying."

"And do we have any idea as to where he would go with both."

"No idea. All the particulates at the scene match either the alley, warehouse, or baseball shed and Booth said he isn't stupid enough to go back to any of those places."

Cam nodded. "Alright, keep working. Call me if you find anything."

"Right. Where are you going?" Hodgins asked as she started to leave.

"The hospital, see if Max has any ideas."

"Good luck," he said as she left.

* * *

**_The Hospital_**

Cam walked into the hospital and was quickly approached by Cullen.

"Please tell me you have something," Cullen quickly said. Cam quickly explained to him what Hodgins found. "Shit. You don't have any clue as to his next location?"

"I was hoping to talk to Max and see if he had any ideas."

"Yeah, good idea. He's in Parker's room." Cam nodded and started heading toward the room.

When she got to the doorway she went in quietly so that she did not startle any of the members of the room. Max looked over to the door as he heard someone approaching. Cam motioned with her head for him to join her outside the door for a minute. He got up and followed her.

"What was that about?" Rebecca asked Brennan, as they both watched Max leave the room.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing that they found something important, and I'm going to find out." Brennan got up out of her chair and followed her boss and father. She started being able to hear the conversation when Cam asked him a question. Brennan guessed that this meant she missed the information.

"Do you have any ideas?" Cam had asked Max.

"What do you have?" Brennan interrupted them trying to find out the new information Cam had.

"Umm…" Cam started, clearly not wanting to tell Brennan what they figured out.

"Booth's in more trouble than we thought," Max told her.

"What do you mean by that?" Max quickly explained to her what Cam informed him. He then looked to Cam.

"You're going to want to inform the FBI and have them ready to get to any scenes of huge fires in isolated areas. He's going to want to physically hurt Booth first though so we probably have at least a few days but…"

"You think he's going to torture and kill him?" Cam asked even more worried about Booth now.

"No. From how Booth described him to me before, I think he's going to torture him then set the place on fire with him still inside so that he gets even more injured before…" He glanced at his daughter, worried about what she was thinking.

"We need to get to the lab and figure out where he's holding Booth."

"Brennan, there is nothing that we have that will lead us to him. We've been extremely thorough. Everything that was found in that alley, other than the chemicals, belonged there or at a location we've been to that he won't go back to. Everyone is still looking, but we really aren't finding anything new or useful."

"Then—"

"Tempe, we need to stay here with Parker."

"But—"

"But nothing. This is where Booth would want you to be; protecting his son. If Raddick figures out that Parker survived that crash, this is the first place he'd look. Booth would want you to make sure his son was safe. He trusts you and this is where he'd want you to be."

Brennan sighed, knowing she was beat. "Ok, but I expect to be notified of any progress and such."

"Alright. I'll call with anything we discover, but only if we discover something. I'm not calling unless we have something definitive," Cam told her. Brennan nodded and went back into the room with Rebecca. She plopped into the chair again.

"So?…" Rebecca asked.

"He's in more trouble than we thought."

"What does that mean?... Never mind I probably really don't want to know. Do they at least know where he is?"

"No, but my dad figures we have at least a few days to find him."

"You mean find him alive, don't you?" Rebecca asked in fear.

"Yes."

Max came back into the room, and leaned against the doorframe. "Cam went back to the lab," he told the women. They nodded.

* * *

**_An Unknown Location_**

Booth groaned as he started to come to. He opened his eyes, but it was pitch black so he could not see anything. He quickly did a mental catalogue of the situation he was in.

Booth was lying on his side and could feel the sharp pain in his back from the taser. The next thing he noted was that his arms were bound extremely tightly behind his back with what felt like rope to him when he tugged on it. He could feel the strain on his shoulders from how tightly he was bound. He also noted that, instead of his arms going straight down his back, they were at a slight angle going away from his back and up. When he tried to move them he felt a strong resistance and guessed he was tied to a wall or something. After that he noted that his legs were tied just as tightly above and below his knees and at his ankles. He was guessing it was by a rope again since he couldn't really feel what it was through his pants. He tried to move his legs and found they were tied to something as well to keep him from moving. He could also feel that he was shirtless and that he was no longer wearing the braces and that his ribs were not wrapped anymore. He was also barefoot.

Booth felt that he was lying on dirt and cement. 'It's concrete, Booth. Cement is an ingredient in concrete,' a voice that sounded strangely like Brennan said in his head. He had to fight to suppress his smile; even lying captured, he still thought of her and spouting facts at him. He had no idea where he was, but he knew that he was in a ton of trouble.

Booth heard a thumping sort of sound. He heard a door open and saw a block of light coming from the wall across from him. It was pretty far up the wall and Booth saw a large flight of stairs coming from it. The door closed and a light was turned on. Booth could now see that he was in a large basement sort of thing with wood paneling and that the ceiling above him was also made of wood. He guessed he was in some type of a wooden cabin. There was a table near him, but it was too high for him to see what was on it. He also noted that the wall had bars along it and that it was those bars that he was tied to with the ropes. He didn't think he'd be able to break free from the wall unless the rope snapped.

Booth looked up to his captor, defiance still clearly visible on his face.

"Ready for the fun to really start?" Raddick asked him with a wicked grin…

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 17, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... **

**Ok... I'll still keep the deal of 10 reviews for a chapter and you get a chapter earlier though so review please...**


	18. Finding Booth?

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_Booth looked up to his captor, defiance still clearly visible on his face._

_"Ready for the fun to really start?" Raddick asked him…_

* * *

**Killing for Revenge  
****Chapter 18: Finding Booth?**

* * *

**_The Lab_**

Cam arrived back at the lab sometime later. The team was still diligently working on everything.

"Please tell me you've found something," Cam said as she scanned herself onto the platform.

"No, sorry. I got crap," Hodgins told her running a hand through his hair. "You get anything good from Max?"

"Depends on what you mean by good." Cam told all of them Max's theory.

"So basically Booth's screwed if we don't find something soon?" Hodgins asked.

"Now I didn't say that. If Raddick starts the fire far enough away there is a chance that the fire department will get there in time."

"Yeah, but there's the torture theory working in that too. No telling what condition he'll be in from that," Wendell added.

"Guys, focus on trying to find him. I've already told Cullen Max's theory and he has agents watching for major fires in secluded areas, but let's try to find him first, before the fire."

"It would help if we had any idea where to look, but I have nothing left with the particulates. Maybe talk to Angela, see if anything else in those notes pop out to her," Hodgins suggested.

"Good idea," Cam said turning to leave to go find Angela.

"Dr. Saroyan?" Wendell asked.

"Yes," she said stopping.

"I was just thinking, if he really was targeting Booth this entire time. He probably didn't leave a clue where to find him."

"I really hope you're wrong, Wendell."

"Me too…" Cam continued to Angela's office.

* * *

**_Angela's Office_**

Cam walked into the office and Angela quickly noticed her. She looked up from her computer pad.

"Hey, Cam, what can I do for you?"

"Please tell me that one of those letters hints at another location," she said, an almost begging tone to her voice. Angela got a more somber look on her face.

"Sorry, I can't find anything. Did you check the guys?"

"Yeah, they don't have anything either," Cam responded sighing.

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're hiding something." Cam sunk down into one of the seats in Angela's office and told her of Max's theory. Angela's eyes widened. "So, what do we do?" she asked when Cam stopped talking.

"I have no idea, other than to keep searching for ideas as to his location and hope we find it first." Cam got up and left the room. Maybe Sweet's could give some help.

* * *

**_Sweets' Office_**

Cam barged into his office without knocking. Sweets had been lounging on the couch reading a comic book. He jumped when he heard the door open.

"Seriously! You people need to start knocking and making appointments! What if I was with a patient!"

"I'm sure Batman can survive without you for the time being," Cam told him grabbing the Batman comic and tossing it onto the coffee table. "We need help with the case and it's urgent." Sweets quickly sat up.

"Yeah, sure. What do you need?"

"Ideas." Cam told him that they had nothing from the letters or particulates that could point to where Booth was being held. She then told him Max's theory as well and that the FBI was watching for fires. Sweets was nodding vigorously as she spoke. "Will you knock that off! You look like a damn bobble-head!" Sweets stopped, thinking.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Max and Wendell. Raddick isn't going to provide any hints as to where they are. We have to hope that Booth can manage to escape and get Raddick before he sets a fire, or we have to hope that the fire starts strong enough that it is noticed quickly, but weak enough that it spreads slowly giving the fire department time to get Booth out. I think if it comes to the fire being set Booth won't be in any shape to get himself out."

"But you think he'll still be alive when the fire is set?"

"Definitely. Raddicks going to want him to die a slow, painful death."

"So, what do we do in the meantime?"

"I guess just keep going over everything and pray something eventually pops out. My guess is though that Raddick is getting more impatient and we won't have a long time before the fire. It all actually depends on Booth probably actually."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Raddick is completely fixed on wanting to hurt Booth as much as possible. First, he attacked family. Now, he has him. He's going to be trying to keep Booth in as much pain as possible. Most likely he's learned about many forms of torture to keep the pain increasing but that won't make Booth pass out from blood loss or other injuries and pain. He'll probably keep the torture going till Booth's body forces him to pass out from pain, stop, then start back up when Booth regains consciousness."

"So, what would cause him to stop torturing him to set the fire?"

"Main thing would be if he thinks Booth won't survive anymore constant torture. He would also go for it if he doesn't get the reactions he wants from Booth and gets bored or thinks we're getting close to him."

"What reactions would those be?"

"He'll want to see the pain on Booth's face. He'll want Booth to beg him to stop." Cam snorted. Sweets raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, but if that's what he's looking for does he know Booth at all?" Sweets looked a little confused. Cam clarified. "He's been tortured a lot before. He can shut down his mind to not feel the pain. He's going to get nowhere using that approach."

"So, we may have even less time than we thought. Unless he decides he doesn't care about seeing the pain, and is fine with just knowing he's causing pain."

"Right, well, I better get back to work. Wish us luck." Cam stood up and left the office. Sweets wanted to do something to help, but couldn't come up with anything, so he picked back up his comic book figuring if anyone needed his help they'd know where to find him.

* * *

**_The Hospital_**

Twelve days had passed. Brennan knew that someone was working on trying to find Booth at all times. They all knew, however, that the longer he was missing the more likely it would be that he was found dead.

Parker was still in the hospital, unconscious, and Brennan was fighting with herself because she knew she should stay with Parker, and part of her really wanted to, to make sure he stayed safe, but the other part of her wanted to be at the lab, to go over the evidence herself and find Booth. There were two things convincing her to stay at the hospital. One was Parker's safety. The other was the fact that she knew if her team found a possible location they would call her or if a large isolated fire started she would be called. Max was normally with her and Rebecca, but even he was starting to get antsy and was constantly pacing. Brennan and Rebecca had also been having some fairly interesting and important conversations regarding Booth. Right now, however, they were sitting in silence. Rebecca was reading a book and Brennan was working on her novel. Max was busy pacing at this point.

"Dad, why don't you go see if there is something useful for you to work on?" Brennan told him.

"Yeah, ok…I'll go talk to Cullen. See if they're getting anywhere." Max left the room. Brennan's and Rebecca's attention quickly went from the door that Max just went through to the bed when they heard a noise coming from it. Rebecca quickly went to the bed and gently brushed the bangs from his forehead as his eyes started to open. When Brennan saw his eyes starting to open she was relieved and hit the call button for the doctor like she knew she should.

"Hey, baby," Rebecca spoke softly, giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead. It took a few moments for Parker's eyes to focus on her.

"Mom?" he spoke weakly and hoarsely.

"Yeah, I'm right here. You're ok." She was still brushing the bangs from his face to provide the comfort they both needed. The doctor walked into the room and smiled when he saw that Parker was awake. He moved over to the bed as Brennan's cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen quickly and frowned when she did not recognize the number. She left the room to take the call as the doctor spoke to Rebecca and checked over Parker.

"Brennan." She listened to the words being spoken by the other person. "Well are…no I wo…" She groaned when they put her on hold even though she was trying to tell them to stay on the line. She started pacing back and forth. It took about 15 minutes for them to come back onto the phone. She wanted to tell them off, but she wanted the new information more. "What is going on?" she demanded. She listened to the voice again. "You're sure." She listened again. "Keep me informed as soon as you find out something." She hung up. The doctor was coming out of the room as she hung up. "How's Parker?" she asked the doctor.

"Dr. Brennan," he said smiling. "Now that he is awake, as long as he continues to improve as well as he was while unconscious, he should make a full recovery. He's going to have a long road ahead of him, but if he takes after his father there is no doubt in my mind that he will make a full recovery. I'm still going to keep him in ICU for a few more days at least so that he is being monitored more closely and have him in another private room after that and see how well he is recovering to see when he can go home. I'm still keeping him on heavy painkillers for the time being to help with the pain and allow him to sleep easier." Brennan smiled, relieved about this situation. She was still worried about Booth, but at least they had good news for him now. They spoke for a few minutes about the current timetable for Parker's recovery and how difficult it will be. "Also, is there a phone number that I should call to let his father know that he is awake, or do you wish to call him?"

"Actually, his father—" Brennan was cut off by her phone ringing. She glanced quickly at the screen and saw another new number. "Hang on a second; this might be about him now." She opened her phone. "Brennan." She listened to the other voice on the line. "How bad?" She listened again. "How bad?" she repeated when he refused to give her specifics. She sighed after listening to him again. "What about Raddick?" The other voice told her what he knew. "Ok." She hung up annoyed. As she hung up the doctor's pager started going off. He looked at it quickly.

"Sorry, you're going to have to call the father. I'm being paged to the emergency room for a victim from a large fire."

"That will be Booth," Brennan told him with a quiver in her voice that you could only really hear if you knew her well.

"Again?" Dr. Andrews stated. Brennan could even hear the concern and shock in his voice.

"Yes, the bus crash his son was in was planned. We know who was driving the oil truck and Booth went to track him down. He went missing twelve days ago. You should also know he's most likely going to have many other injuries. He was probably being tortured while he was held captive."

"His injuries wouldn't have even finished healing from the last explosion!"

"I know." The doctor shook his head, wondering what shape Booth was going to be in when he got here. He turned to head quickly to the emergency room. "One more thing?" Brennan asked. The doctor paused briefly. "If his injuries are severe enough that he needs to be placed in ICU, can he at least be put in the same room as his son? He's been worried and even being tortured I can guarantee his thoughts were mostly on if Parker was ok and Parker will be wondering about his dad."

"If it's as bad as you described he'll definitely be in ICU. We'll see how bad he is before we decide where to put him." The doctor started moving quickly down the hall again mumbling something about if Booth made it he was not leaving that hospital bed again. Brennan would have laughed if she wasn't so worried.

She went back into the room. Parker was already asleep again. Rebecca smiled at her. "He's going to be ok. The doctor gave him a strong painkiller to help him sleep, but he'll be ok."

"I know. I spoke to the doctor after I got off the phone." Brennan smiled slightly at Rebecca.

"Who called anyway? Your team?"

"No. An FBI agent. A report had come in about a major fire in the woods at a log cabin just outside of Virginia. I had told them I wanted to be made aware of any major fires as well after the report would get to the FBI. I was called by another agent after they got to the site."

"And?" Rebecca asked, anxiously.

"Booth was in the basement of the cabin, where the fire started. According to the other agent he's really not in good shape. Apparently, when they got there most of the cabin already caved in on itself. All that's left is a pile of ashes. They barely found Booth. The doctor was being paged to the ER already while I was talking to him."

"Oh God! What about the man who got him?"

"Unknown." Max came back into the room and looked at the two women. He wasn't sure what to make of their expressions. He turned to his daughter.

"Did you get the call?"

"Yes, both."

"Both?"

"About the fire, and that they found Booth."

"Oh. Cullen's gonna be pissed he didn't get that call before you. How's Booth?"

"According to the agent on site, not good. He really wouldn't give me any details," she huffed, still pissed off from the conversation.

Max looked over to the bed. "Any change with Parker?"

Rebecca's face brightened a little and she got a slight smile. "He woke up shortly after you left. The doctor said he should make a full recovery."

"Yeah, that's great!" Max said happily. He then looked to his daughter. "You can go down to the ER if you want to wait on news of Booth's condition. We can handle things up here for awhile."

Brennan shook her head. "I asked Jimmy if he was going to need to be placed in ICU if he could be placed in the same room as his son. He'll be coming up here with the news after his surgery anyway to let me know. I need to be up here, as you said he'd want me here with his son. I should call the lab quickly though to let them know." She left the room. The remaining two adults fell into an awkward silence.

* * *

**_Out in the Hall_**

Brennan took out her cell phone and called Angela's office. After a few moments she picked up.

"Hey, Sweetie, we're still running everything. We haven't found anything yet, but we're still looking."

"Ange, there was a large fire at a log cabin in the woods near Virginia."

"Oh God! What about Booth?"

"They found him in the basement. According to the agent on site he wasn't in good shape. He wouldn't tell me anything else."

"I'm on my way over, Sweetie. Where are you?"

"Come up to Parker's room."

"They said only family till he woke up."

"I know."

"Um…" It took a minute for Angela to catch up to what Brennan was implying. "Yeah!" she responded happily when her brain caught up. "Is baby Booth ok? Does he need anything? How is he?"

"Ange, slow down. He'll be ok. Jimmy believes he's going to make a full recovery, but he's keeping him on heavy painkillers to help him sleep for now."

"Ok. I'm going to get Cam, Hodgins, and Wendell now. We'll be there soon."

"Ok."

"And Sweetie, I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"You were counting on us to find Booth and we failed you and him."

"Ange, Raddick didn't want him to be found. You guys went over everything."

"Still, I'm sorry, Sweetie. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Ange."

"Bye." They both hung up. Brennan leaned against the wall outside the room. Max came out of the room.

"You ok?"

"Fine. Angela and the others are on their way." Brennan pushed herself off the wall and walked back into the room, not wanting to continue the conversation with her father. She sat in the empty chair near Parker's bed, next to Rebecca.

"Your team coming?"

"They're on their way… You know if you want to step out for a few hours to get some rest I'll gladly stay with Parker. He's going to need a lot of help once he gets out of the hospital and you haven't left the hospital at all; you must be exhausted."

"I really don't want to leave, but unfortunately I know you're right. I'm not going all the way home though. I'll check into a hotel close by for a couple hours to sleep on a bed, but promise to call my cell if anything happens or if you get word on Seeley."

"Ok, but why don't you get the room for a few days so that you can still take care of yourself and be near Parker."

"Alright, but you should use the room to rest too. You haven't left either."

"I'm not leaving Booth or Parker with this guy still out there."

"You need to take care of yourself too. I'll be back in a couple hours. Take care of Parker for me." She kissed Parker on the forehead and made her way out of the room before she could change her mind.

Sometime later, Angela came into the room. She came up next to Brennan and sat in the seat next to her. "Hey, Sweetie."

"Hey, Ange. Where's the rest of the team?"

"They went to the scene to see what they can get from there, then they are going to bring the evidence to the lab and come here. How is Parker?"

"Still asleep and heavily medicated."

"And you?"

"I'm not in the hospital, Ange."

"No, but two people you love are." Angela held up her hand to stop Brennan from protesting to that statement when Brennan had immediately opened her mouth. "One who just woke up. The other just going into surgery from very serious injuries from what it sounds like. Don't deny you love them."

"I wasn't going to. I can't say for certain it's love but I do care greatly for the two of them."

"Bren, Sweetie, it's definitely love! I would totally squeal right now if we weren't in ICU." Brennan was thankful her father hadn't re-entered the room with her. Angela quickly started throwing questions out to her. "What are you going to do now? When are you going to tell Booth? When do I get to plan the wedding? Sweetie, I better get to be your maid of honor."

"Ange, slow down and get a little quieter. You'll wake Parker. I don't know what we'll do and I already implied it to Booth. And marriage, seriously. You know I think it's an—"

"Archaic institution… yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I can dream though of you and your hot FBI knight in shining standard issue FBI issue body armor though, can't I? So what did Booth say?"

"He wants to concentrate on Parker and Raddick first. He said something about not having a genius brain to process that many things and that quickly. He said we'll go slow if we need to, but we'll do it together." Brennan was smiling as she spoke.

"I'm going to seriously need to have a talk with that man. Isn't four years slow enough?" Angela grumbled to herself. She turned her attention back to Brennan. "So tell me exactly what you said to him and I mean everything," she said with a grin.

Brennan started from where she asked Booth 'are we', up until him asking to concentrate on Parker. She was smiling as she spoke. "Sweetie!" Angela said happily with a huge smile on her face as she pulled Brennan into an awkward hug, since they were both seated.

The two friends spoke quietly for awhile, talking about simple things, trying not to worry too much. They barely noticed the time flying by, until a different doctor came into the room. They fell silent and looked to the door when she came in. The three of them stared at each other for a few moments. Then, the doctor awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Karen Cruise. I'm one of the main doctors assigned to the ICU floor. Dr. Andrews is currently in surgery, so I was asked to make his rounds for him." She moved over to Parker's bed. She picked up his chart. Brennan looked at her watch as the doctor performed these tasks. Her eyes widened when she saw how much later it was.

"He's still in surgery? He was called down over 5 hours ago," Brennan said really starting to get worried.

"How do you know that?" Karen asked.

"I was talking to him about Parker when he got the call. Do you know why it's taking so long?"

"No idea. From what I heard though, it was a pretty bad incident. I really can't talk about another patients care with you do to patient confidentiality. Has Parker been asleep since he was given those painkillers before?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"No. It's actually probably beneficial for his recovery. Asleep, he'll be in less pain and his body will heal faster." She made a couple notes on his chart after checking the monitors. "From what it says on his chart, he seems to be doing well, but since this is the first time I'm seeing him I'd wait until you get confirmation from Dr. Andrews before you start getting excited since I really don't know the exact condition he started in."

"Ok."

"If Parker needs anything before Dr. Andrews is out of surgery, feel free to have me paged."

"Ok. Thanks." The doctor left the room. Brennan looked to Angela. "I'm going to go call Rebecca. She said she wasn't going to be gone long and it's been over 5 hours. Will you stay with Parker?"

"Sure."

Brennan went out into the hallway, opening her cell phone and searching for Rebecca's cell phone number. She hit the send button when she came across the number. It took a few rings for Rebecca to answer.

"Hello?" the groggy voice asked on the other side of the line.

"Rebecca, it's Dr. Brennan. I wanted to make sure you were ok. You've been gone longer than you implied…" Brennan heard rustling on the other end.

"Shit," Rebecca said sounding much more awake. Brennan guessed she just saw the clock. "I just collapsed on the bed when I got into the room. I must have forgotten to set the alarm. I'm on my way back over. How's Parker?"

"Still asleep. He was just checked on by another doctor who also believes he is doing well."

"And Seeley?"

"Unknown. Still in surgery." Brennan saw Cullen coming down the hall. "I have to go. I'll see you soon." Brennan hung up as Cullen approached.

"How's Parker doing?" Cullen asked.

"He woke up a little while ago. Dr. Andrews checked on him just before he was paged about Booth. He's fairly certain Parker will make a full recovery. He says it will be difficult, but that if he is anything like his father, he'll be mobile again fairly quickly. Any information on Booth?"

"As far as I know, he's still in surgery."

"That much I was aware of from the doctor that was doing his rounds for him while he was still there. Do you know what is going on with him?"

"I haven't heard anything about his condition from the doctors. I only know what the agents and firemen, who were on the scene, said."

"What did they say? All the agent that I spoke to said was that he didn't look good. He wouldn't give me any other information."

"A couple agents and firemen came down to the hospital after they took care of the scene, like I asked them to. The fire captain was the one who found Booth in the fire. He was in the basement, legs still bound to the wall by a rope that was on fire but hadn't burnt through all the way yet. He said there was also evidence that his arms were bound, but that they weren't when he got there anymore. The rope was on fire, but he couldn't tell if that's what caused the ropes to break. The basement was also coming down around them, so he wasn't looking too carefully at the ropes. There were already huge piles of rubble around Booth, according to the captain, and he didn't want to risk anything else, so he grabbed Booth and got out of there as quickly as he could. The fire was bad enough where there are only ashes really left of the place. The captain said Booth was partially under a table, the rope around his legs stretched as far out as possible. He's figuring that this is what allowed Booth to not burn to death. There are some larger pieces of the place left, but not many. From the pressure they had to use with the fire hose none of the ashes of the place survived. There are a few larger pieces of the place left and some melted items that may have been weapons and such used on Booth, but that's about it."

"Did they tell you anything else about Booth's condition?"

"From what the agents could see and the fire captain could tell, he has some serious burns, gashes, a couple broken bones that they could tell, probably more than what they could see too. The captain also said he saw some other injuries, but couldn't tell what made them. According to him Booth's breathing was also extremely shallow and it sounded very labored."

Brennan nodded, not liking how it was sounding. "What about Raddick?"

"We have agents hunting him non-stop, especially after he took Booth. Most know that Booth was found in very bad shape and they basically doubled their efforts to find him now. We don't like it when someone messes with one of our own, especially when it gets as bad as this. Don't get me wrong they were hardly slacking before but now they picked up the pace even more-so. We don't really know where to look for him either though. Right now, for all we know, he could have been caught in the fire if he screwed up. It's not likely, especially with Booth bound to the wall, so for now we're assuming that he got away and we'll keep the search going. Has your team found anything useful?"

"No, everything led to places that we know he's been."

Cullen nodded. "So, we're back to square one."

"I don't know what that means."

"We got nothing."

"I believe I just said that."

"Nevermind… I'm going to head back to the waiting room, with your father to wait for any new information from the scene. The rest of your team is already down at the scene to see if they can pull up any evidence, and they're hoping to get here soon. The doctors still know to come up to you though for information on Booth." Brennan nodded. Cullen went back to the waiting room.

Brennan went back into the room and sat in one of the chairs again. She told Angela that Rebecca was fine, that she just forgot to turn on the alarm before she fell asleep. She also told Angela about Cullen coming up and what he said about the scene. Rebecca had come into the room as she was talking, but neither noticed.

"So, this bastard that hurt Parker and Seeley is still out there?" she asked. Brennan and Angela jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Most likely," Brennan responded after her shock faded. The three women started talking about anything, trying to occupy their minds and not worry too greatly. While they were talking, Parker started to wake up. They noticed when he groaned slightly. Brennan went closer to the bed quickly. "Hey, Parker," she said softly when his eyes opened. She brushed the bangs from his forehead. She realized she didn't know what to say to him. She didn't find it necessary to ask how he was feeling because she thought it was fairly obvious that he'd be in pain. Parker's eyes started to scan the room. Rebecca had moved closer to the bed by now as well.

"Hey, Baby," Rebecca spoke softly.

"Hey…" Parker said, somewhat quietly and hoarsely.

"How are you feeling?" Rebecca asked gently.

"Ok…" Parker responded hesitantly.

"You can tell us the truth, Parker," Brennan told him softly. Rebecca looked at her questioningly. Brennan turned her head to Rebecca when she felt her looking at her.

"He takes after his father. He doesn't want to worry us. With the types and amount of injuries he has, he should still be in pain even with the painkillers," she explained. She looked back to Parker. "How are you really feeling?"

"Sore…"

"I know, but you'll heal and should stop feeling so much pain soon," Brennan told him. "You are really just like your father, wanting us not to worry about your pain." Brennan looked to Angela. "Ange, can you get the doctor that checked him before paged, so that Parker can get more painkillers."

"Sure, Sweetie. I'll be back in a minute." Angela left the room.

"Bones?" Parker asked. Brennan turned her head back to Parker.

"Yes, Parker," Brennan responded.

"Where's dad?" Brennan looked to Rebecca, not knowing how to answer him.

"You said it yourself. He takes after his father. He'll know if you're lying to him. Tell him the truth." Brennan nodded.

"Your dad went looking for the man who has killed a couple boys and who keeps hurting you and him, so that he can't hurt anyone else. He'd be here with you right now, but he was caught by the man and badly hurt. He went missing 12 days ago and was only found a few hours ago," Brennan told him. Angela came back into the room with Dr. Cruise.

"I heard that Parker is awake," she spoke, picking up his chart to look over his information.

"Yes, and he is still in pain," Brennan informed her as the doctor looked over the chart.

"That's to be expected for awhile unfortunately." The doctor looked up from the chart. "Ok, well, Dr. Andrews didn't record what he was planning on doing with the dosages of painkillers, so we have a few choices. I can give him the same dosage as before, I can give him a slightly lower dosage to start weaning him from the heavier medications, or we were just informed up here that Dr. Andrews is finishing up in the ER. We could wait for him to get up here. It should be 10 minutes at the most, but if Parker thinks he can handle the pain for that long, it would probably be beneficial to wait for Dr. Andrews. I can have him paged so that he knows the moment he is done to come to take a look at Parker and give him more meds. What do you guys want to do?"

"He was actually coming up to this room anyway. It's his father that he's been working on," Brennan told the doctor. She then looked to Parker. "What do you want to do, Parker?"

"Dr. Brennan…" Rebecca started to say, but was cut off by Brennan.

"Parker is quite intelligent for his age. He'll know how he's feeling and what he can handle better than we can. Let him make the decision. Parker?"

"If I wait, will I be able to see dad?"

"I don't know, Parker. It's been your dad he's been working on, so it really depends on how he is."

"I want to wait."

"Are you sure? Your pain will steadily be increasing and you still may not be able to see your dad."

"I know. I really want to see dad though, and she said waiting is best."

"Parker, it's not best though if you are in a lot of pain."

"Dr. Brennan," Dr. Cruise interrupted, "you can start with that decision, if that is what he wants and you both agree, and page me if it becomes too much for him."

"Please, Bones."

"It's really up to you and your mom."

"Mom…"

"I really don't want you to be in any pain…"

"Mooom…" Parker whined to her interrupting her.

"You didn't let me finish. I really don't want you in pain, but if you think you can handle it, I will support your choice," she said, resigned to Parker's wants.

"Page me if you change your mind and Dr. Andrews hasn't come up yet. He should be up soon though. I'll also get word down to him about Parker being awake." Dr. Cruise left the room. No one really knew what to talk about while waiting. Angela came up with an idea to distract Parker after a moment of silence.

"Hey, baby Booth…"

"Yeah," Parker responded looking at Angela.

"I was thinking about making my Halloween costume for next Halloween, but I want to create something that will totally creep your dad out. You have any ideas?" Angela asked with an evil glint in her eyes and a smile on her face.

"Dad doesn't get scared by anything."

"I don't know about that, Parker," Brennan told him. "When your dad and I went to a fun-house for a case, he wasn't too fond of that killer clown attraction."

"What?" Rebecca and Angela asked at the same time, trying to hide their amusement.

"Dad's afraid of clowns?"

"He claims he just doesn't like them, but when he came around the corner and saw it he yelped."

"So, what do you think, baby Booth? Can you help me to design a really creepy clown for a Halloween costume?" Angela asked taking her sketch book out of her bag.

"Yeah," Parker said excited.

The two of them spent some time talking about different ideas for the costume, with Angela sketching their different ideas. This was helping to distract Parker from the pain he otherwise would have been feeling as they waited for the doctor to come in.

A few minutes into discussing the costume, the doctor came into the room. "I hear someone woke up," he said smiling slightly as he came into the room. The adults of the room could see he looked a little worn out which made them concerned.

"Yeah, can I see my dad, now?" Parker asked getting impatient. Brennan wanted to grin at how much he was like his father, with him voicing his impatience immediately. Dr. Jimmy seemed a little shocked that this was the first thing that Parker voiced. He had not expected that, but recovered quickly from the shock, glancing to Brennan.

"Dr. Brennan, can I have a word with you in the hallway for a moment?" Brennan nodded and stood up to follow him. They went into the hall and Brennan spoke first.

"What did you want to tell me that his son can't hear?"

"Um… You may want to sit down," he said gesturing to the nurses' station and chairs that where nearby.

Brennan crossed her arms. "I'm fine here. Now tell me what I want to know."

He sighed, knowing that she was stubborn. "Ok. First of all your assumption was right, it was Booth."

"It wasn't an assumption. When I was on the phone and you were paged, they said he was being loaded into an ambulance to bring him here."

"Anyway… He also had many other injuries on top of all the burns from the fire and he was showing the first symptoms of his body going into shock. Many of his bones were broken, fractured, or bruised. Some of his joints were dislocated. He has gashes and cuts all over, and they weren't all straight. I can't even guess what made a lot of the gashes. I also believe that he was electrocuted many times based on some of the marks. Some of them were harsher than others as well. We ran some tests; internal damage was thankfully at a minimum. A few of his ribs punctured one of his lungs and he's got some fairly bad smoke inhalation, which is causing him difficulty breathing, so we put him on an oxygen mask. Some of his other organs were partially affected from the fire, but there should be no long term damages to them. The burns from the fire also do not help. Most of them were second degree. We also have problems for what to do with him for healing because the broken and fractured bones should be in casts, but the gashes and burns need some air to heal, so we have his bones wrapped as tightly as possible. This may cause them to not heal properly and we may need to re-break some of them later, but it's the best we can do for now. I'm also not going to lie. We almost lost him three times while working on him. He's very lucky to still be alive. Even with the oxygen mask, his breathing is still extremely shallow. We medicated him as well so that he will hopefully stay unconscious for a while to heal, but we didn't want to medicate him too greatly with the internal damage because the medications could actually start to cause more damage if he is given too much, plus we don't want him to become addicted or immune to them. In addition, he has a slight concussion; I'm honestly surprised it's not worse considering everything else, so we also can't medicate him to greatly do to that. Once he wakes up and the concussion is taken care of, we may be able to increase his painkillers. I really wouldn't recommend him being placed in the same room as his son with how he looks."

"Parker is as stubborn as his father, and really wants to see him. I really do not think he will rest until he sees Booth. Can I see his charts and x-rays for a clearer indication of his condition?"

"Alright, fine. They're working on getting him brought up now and we'll get him situated in the same room as his son. I suggest you warn Parker about the shape his father is in. I'll be back in a few minutes with Booth and his charts, and I'll give Parker more painkillers after he sees his dad too, then I'll tell the others in the waiting room about Booth's condition."

"My team made it here already?"

"That's what I've been told."

"Ok. I'll go talk to Parker while you wait for Booth to be brought up." Brennan walked back into the room. She sat gently on the side of Parker's bed.

"Can I see my dad now?"

"Well, they are going to bring him up here, but he is very badly hurt and will be asleep for awhile. The doctor isn't really sure when he is going to wake up. You'll be able to see him, but you won't really be able to talk to him. After you see him though you should take some of the painkillers so that when you and your dad are both awake you can talk to him like you want."

"What if I'm asleep when he wakes up?"

"If your dad wakes up while you are still asleep he probably won't be awake for long because of how badly he was hurt, but if he does and is awake for awhile I promise I will try to wake you up so that you can talk, but if he doesn't stay awake for long I promise I will at least tell you that he woke up when you wake up. I also promise to let him know that you are ok, but you need to rest also so that you can go home. Ok?"

"I guess."

"Ok. Let me go see if Jimmy is ready to bring your dad in." Brennan rose from the edge of the bed and started to the door.

"Bones?"

"Yes," she said turning back to him.

"What happened to the guy who hurt me and dad?"

"We don't know yet, Parker. Hopefully your dad will be able to tell us where he went when he wakes up."

"Ok." Brennan went over to the doorway. She looked down the hallway and saw them bringing Booth down the hallway. Even with the distance Brennan could see just how pale his face was. He almost blended in with the pillow behind his head. She could also see that the head of the bed was slightly inclined. Booth had an oxygen mask on his face and the blankets were pulled up to his chin, hiding his injuries. She could also see many tubes and wires running from underneath the blanket, ready to be hooked back up to monitors. He still had some of the more portable monitors, fluid bags, and such hooked up to him. She moved out of the doorway as they got closer. They entered the room and quickly started to hook him back up to the monitors. Dr. Jimmy stayed out in the hall to talk to her for a moment.

"Here are copies of his charts and his x-rays." He handed her a stack of papers and an envelope with the x-rays. "He will most likely stay unconscious for awhile, unless the pain gets to be too much for his body. If the pain increases to that extent, he may unfortunately wake up sooner because his mind will be telling him he needs to figure out why he's in pain. Have us paged when he wakes up." He walked into the room, Brennan following closely behind him. He went over to Booth's bed first as the other staff members finished hooking him up to the monitors and hanging fluid bags. As they finished and left, he picked up his chart and made a few notes on his stats. He then went over to Parker. "I hear you're as stubborn as your dad when it comes to pain."

"Can I talk to my dad now?" Parker asked him.

The doctor chuckled lightly at his one track mind. "Well your dad was pretty badly hurt, so he'll be asleep for awhile. Why don't you take a smaller amount of painkillers now that will also help you to sleep; this way when you wake up if your dad is up you can talk to him and he can answer?"

"Ok," Parker said, disappointed that he wouldn't get to talk to his dad now. He gave Parker the medication.

"How is Seeley?" The doctor turned to face Rebecca as she asked this.

"He's holding on. I won't lie to you; he's really not in good shape and we almost lost him three times in surgery. He's definitely a fighter." He then told her what he told Brennan about his injuries in the hall. "He's really lucky." Rebecca nodded, not knowing what to say. The doctor left the room.

"Are you ok?" Angela asked Rebecca.

Rebecca blew out a breath, looking at Parker and brushing the bangs from his forehead. She saw he was asleep already. "How much did he hear; do you know?"

"He fell asleep pretty quickly, so I don't think he heard much. Are you ok?"

"It's just a lot to deal with." Angela nodded, realizing that was all she was going to get for now. "Dr. Brennan, do you know what we do now?" Both Angela and Rebecca turned to look at her when Rebecca didn't receive an answer. Brennan was in one of the chairs between the two beds, looking intently at Booth's x-rays and charts.

Angela chuckled lightly. "No way you're getting an answer out of her yet. She is too focused on Booth's information and when it comes to him she won't be distracted." The two women, who were not absorbed in Booth's file, fell into silence. The room stayed in silence for awhile, with Rebecca and Angela on one side of Parker's bed and Brennan between the two beds. Suddenly, the silence was broken by Brennan's chair scraping backward slightly. Both Angela and Rebecca looked to her as she quickly left the room with part of Booth's file, leaving the rest on the stand by his bed.

"What was that about?" Rebecca asked.

"I have no idea, but whoever she is going to talk to, I would not want to be them right now."

"Why?"

"Because that look she had on her face was one of those looks of she either found something unique in the file or the doctor screwed up somewhere. Either way I think someone's about to get a lecture."

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**Ok... so that was chapter 18, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... **

**Ok... I'll still keep the deal of 10 reviews for a chapter and you get a chapter earlier though so review please...**


	19. Closing the Case?

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

**Ok... so I'm not going to be home this weekend and won't have internet access, so I'll treat you guys to an early chapter so that you don't have to wait until Tuesday when I'm finally home and have the internet again...**

**IMPORTANT NOTE!: ****There are 2 parts in this chapter that go into Booth's torture and they probably should be rated at least a pretty stong T, possibly M... I labeled in bold and underlined where both parts begin and end if you wish to skip reading the torture... look for Strong T Begin and Strong T End**

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_Last Chapter:_

_Suddenly, the silence was broken by Brennan's chair scraping backward slightly. Both Angela and Rebecca looked to her as she quickly left the room with part of Booth's file, leaving the rest on the stand by his bed._

_"What was that about?" Rebecca asked._

_"I have no idea, but whoever she is going to talk to, I would not want to be them right now."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because that look she had on her face was one of those looks of she either found something unique in the file or the doctor screwed up somewhere. Either way I think someone's about to get a lecture."_

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**Killing for Revenge  
****Chapter 19: Closing the Case?**

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**_Booth _(Strong T or M Begin)**

_Booth was slowly starting to regain consciousness again. He had no idea how many times he gave in to the darkness; he only knew that the amount of time that he was remaining conscious was getting shorter and shorter. His entire body was screaming in pain. He didn't know how long he had been there. He also didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to withstand the torture. He knew that the squints would be searching for him, but he was determined to try and stop Raddick himself. He just needed to figure out how to do that with his arms tied tightly behind his back and to the wall. He was certain that his left arm was broken from how bad it was throbbing, seeing as before it was throbbing it was completely numb. He couldn't recall how it was broken so he was guessing that it had been one of Raddick's attempts to rouse him, like he had done with his legs at previous points. He opened his left eye, seeing as his right eye wouldn't really open from the dried blood from the gash on his forehead, to see that Raddick was hovering over his face with an electric cattle prod and a large bucket filled with something. Once Raddick saw that he was awake an evil grin crossed his features and Booth could see an evil glint in his eye._

_"What do you want from me?" Booth croaked from not having spoken or having anything to drink for awhile._

_Raddick chuckled darkly. "I told you; I don't want anything other than to destroy you the way you destroyed my family."_

_Booth tried to clear his throat a little before speaking. "What's with the torture then? It was a single shot that, according to you, destroyed your family."_

_"You deserve to suffer for the pain inflicted on my family that day." _

_Unexpectedly, Raddick took the bucket and dumped its contents on Booth. It was ice cold water. Booth's muscles tensed and his body jerked at the coldness, which made him grunt in pain. Before he had a chance to recover from the pain, he felt the cattle prod being pressed into his side and the electric current go through him. He grunted again, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of Raddick knowing that he was in a good amount of pain, but unable to stop the grunt. Raddick kept it there for a few moments before removing the cattle prod from his side. Booth was breathing fairly heavily from the pain once it was removed, but before he had the chance to fully catch his breath Raddick moved to the top of his arm that was visible and jabbed him in his bicep. Booth grunted again, but remained glaring at Raddick, refusing to shut his eyes to the pain. All of Booth's muscles were tensed trying to fight off the pain. Raddick held the cattle prod to him for a few moments again, then removed it. He picked up the bucket that he had put on the floor at some point and made his way to the door. He opened the door and left the room. Booth knew that he would be back because he never left him while he was still conscious. He guessed that he was filling the bucket with ice water again since his body was drying already. Booth tried to relax his muscles briefly while Raddick was out of the room, because all the extra tension in them was also creating pain for him._

_A few minutes later Raddick came back into the room, bucket and cattle prod still in hand. Booth had managed to get his breathing under control again and his muscles to slightly relax again while Raddick was out of the room. Raddick stood silently in front of him for a while. Booth knew that he was doing this for some element of surprise. They were basically in the middle of a staring contest. Raddick eventually moved quickly and dumped the water over his chest and legs. Before Booth could even react to the water, he was jabbed in the side and could feel the current go through him. Booth's body jerked again. His body's movements were also creating extra pain in his arms and legs from being bound to the wall and being jerked around. Raddick didn't hold the prod to Booth's side as long as before. He quickly removed it and quickly jabbed it back into him. Booth grunted. This process repeated a few times with Raddick slowly working from one of Booth's sides to the other. He was around the area where Booth's stomach was and he was also keeping how long he held the cattle prod to Booth varying. Raddick then moved and jabbed Booth in the top of his thigh twice. Booth grunted and was attempting to block out the signals of pain that his body was sending his brain._

_Raddick moved to the table as Booth attempted to catch his breath. Booth watched him put the bucket and prod on the table. Raddick then moved to the other side of the table. He picked up a sharpened screwdriver and a blowtorch. Booth made a snorting sound as he started to heat the screwdriver with the blowtorch. "Can't you come up with something unique? The screwdriver didn't work with Gallagher; what makes you think it will work for you?" Raddick moved behind him as he was talking. Booth could not see him anymore, but he could sense him standing behind his back._

_"Simple, they were only able to use it on you once and even then they only used it on your thigh," Raddick told him darkly and quietly, leaning right over his ear. "I plan on using it much more." Raddick straightened up from leaning over his ear. He didn't make a move for a few moments. Booth was able to get control of his pain in this amount of time and was waiting for Raddick to strike with the screwdriver. It was a shock to him, therefore, when Raddick turned the blowtorch back on and had the edge of the flame run down his back, between his arms, stopping just before he reached the ropes that bound his wrists. Booth couldn't stop the cry of pain that left his lips or his body jerking forward, which made Raddick move the blowtorch closer to his skin. Raddick then followed the path of the blowtorch with the screwdriver, causing Booth to cry out in pain again. Raddick sent the screwdriver into his back deeply, but not deeply enough that it would cause Booth to bleed out or become paralyzed. To be sure, however, he ran the blowtorch down his back again, allowing the skin to partially fuse itself back together. Booth was having difficulty remaining conscious. Raddick ran the screwdriver down his back in different angles and with different deepness levels. Booth was barely able to react to the pain anymore. He felt like his body was giving out on him. His last thoughts before he let the darkness consume him were of Brennan and Parker._

**(Strong T or M End)**

* * *

**_The Hospital Waiting Room_**

Brennan quickly located Cullen, her father, and her team. She quickly went over to them. Hodgins and Wendell were discussing something sports related, what she was not sure of and didn't really care. And Cam and Sweets were discussing something that she could not hear. Cullen was on the phone and from what it sounded like he was talking to another agent. Her father was the first to notice her approaching.

"Hey, honey, what's going on? Is everything ok? What's up with Booth, the doctor didn't say much?"

"Booth is fairly severely injured from the torture Raddick put him through and the fire. I was going through his x-rays and charts and have found something that should be brought to Cullen's attention. Booth's doctor is an idiot and this injury should have been noted earlier in his file and more accurately," she said, somewhat pissed off that it wasn't. "It may help to locate Raddick. Was anything useful found where Booth was held?"

"According to your team, all that was left of the place was ashes and there weren't even that many left. They were able to pull a couple other things from there, but you'll have to ask them if there was anything useful there." Brennan nodded. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, dad. I'm not the one who was injured." She turned away as Cullen was finishing his phone call. She approached Cullen as he hung up. He looked surprised to see her, figuring she would stay with Booth.

"Dr. Brennan, I thought you would be staying with Booth and Parker?"

"I planned on it, but I was looking at Booth's x-rays and charts and noticed something that may be of some use on the x-ray of his left arm. His doctor really should have caught it and noted it in the file more accurately." She stood next to him and held the x-ray up to the light. "Do you see what I'm talking about?"

"Not at all. Looks like a break. Explain how that is useful."

"This is the x-ray from when he was brought in. The bones were broken at an angle toward the inner side of the arm."

"This helps us how?"

"The bones are not in the proper position for that type of break. They are going in the opposite direction and, with how they are positioned, it would appear that Booth used that arm to help him to twist something with a strong amount of force."

"Point?"

"The point is," Brennan said, getting frustrated that he hadn't figured out what she was talking about, "that Booth was bound to the wall at floor level, not much would be found at floor level to twist. It was most likely one of Raddick's limbs that he twisted. With the amount of force it would have taken for Booth's radius and ulna to be in the position they are in now, Raddick's limb is most likely broken and therefore, he most likely will need to seek medical attention to set the bone properly."

"While that's useful information for the agents working on locating him, it won't help too much because he may choose not to get medical treatment and if he does many go to the hospital for broken bones and we don't know which bone it is we should be looking at. Also, he knows we're searching for him and since we really don't know what he looks like, he can give a fake name and we'd have no clue it was him at the hospital. I'll let the agents know your theory that he's injured, but I wouldn't expect it to go anywhere." Cullen walked away from her to go make the calls. Brennan went back over to the team.

"Were you able to pull anything useful from the scene?" Hodgins responded to her question first.

"The flooring and walls didn't really prove to be helpful because of the damage from the fire. I was able to pull several items made from different metals, but they were fairly warped from the heat. Based on the makeup of the different pieces and how they were bent, I have them running through the system in the lab and hopefully the tests will give us possible ideas on what the items were. There were a few other items that were damaged bad enough where I couldn't figure out what they were made of. Sorry, but that's all I got for now." Brennan nodded.

"Cam?"

"Not much on the forensics end. I checked the items for DNA, fingerprints, the standard stuff. All I got was Booth's DNA from the remaining blood on the metal chunks. Whoever used the items must have been wearing gloves or something because there were no fingerprints or anything from him." She paused for a moment. "How's Booth? The doc didn't give us details."

"He's in really bad shape." She went on to telling all of them about his injuries.

"Is he going to be ok?" Sweet's asked.

Hodgins snorted out a laugh. "When have you ever known any injuries to completely stop him? I'll give him three days before he stops asking them to discharge him and just tries to breakout."

"You heard Dr. Brennan," Wendell said, "most of his bones have been damaged in some way, plus all of the other injuries. Even Booth has his limits. No way he's stupid enough to try and move after three days. I'd say he'll start asking for the discharge papers after a week and resort to trying to break out after a week and a half."

"He might make it that long if they have a never ending supply of puddings coming his way."

Cam shook her head about the two men arguing about when Booth was going to try to breakout. "Guys, even Booth isn't that stupid. The only time he actually broke out is when you helped him." She glared at Hodgins. "Yes, I heard about that one." She said at his shocked expression. "He only left at that point 'cause Dr. Brennan was in trouble; then he went back anyway. Also, this time he's in the same room as his son. Rebecca would kill him if he tried to break out because Parker would want to follow in his father's footsteps." She then turned to Brennan. "How's Parker also? Max told us he woke up."

Brennan told them how the two doctors both said he was doing well and that he insisted on staying awake until they brought his dad up. "I should get back up to them."

"Yes. We should head to the lab anyway, see if the computers have found any possible matches yet so we can nail this bastard. Call us when he wakes up." Cam told her. Brennan nodded. Cam turned to Max. "You want to come too?"

"Nah, I think I'll stay here with the FBI idiots, make sure they don't screw up anything."

"Hey, we got you, didn't we," Cullen said coming up behind Max.

Max shrugged, turning to look at Cullen. "Last time I checked, yeah Booth got the drop on me, but I didn't do it." He smiled at Cullen. Cullen was grumbling something about everyone knowing it was him as he walked off again to make another call.

"Dad, don't do anything stupid."

"Ok, Tempe." She walked off to go back to Booth and Parker as Hodgins, Cam, and Wendell left to head back to the lab. Sweets had decided to stay and keep an eye on Max. Max saw him still sitting there. "You know I really don't need a babysitter and I don't do psychology," Max told him in a warning tone.

"I'm just here in case anyone needs anything," Sweets gulped.

"Sure," Max responded sarcastically. Cullen came back over and the three sat in the hard plastic chairs, waiting for any news from the team of agents trying to track down Raddick, the squints, or Brennan.

* * *

**_Booth _(Strong T or M Begin)**

_Booth was struggling to come to again.__He could feel the pain coursing through his body. At this moment, from what he could sense, without looking, he was alone. He opened his eye that wasn't sealed shut with the dried blood and ended up seeing double because of the pain he was in and the blood loss. It took a few moments for everything to come into focus. Once everything came into focus he tried to shift positions a little to make himself a little more comfortable. He realized this was a horrible move on his part when he felt some of the cuts and blisters on his back rip open again. He grunted and decided to not try moving again. Booth knew that he had to come up with a plan and quick. He looked to the table. He knew if he could get to the table he could get out. He couldn't figure out how to do that though. Booth started to move his wrists, trying to loosen the rope around them. He had his jaw clenched because of the pain shooting up his arms from the broken bones and lack of circulation. He was rubbing his wrists raw and was still not getting the ropes any looser. Booth saw the door at the top of the steps start to open. He quickly stopped moving and shut his eye so that he appeared to still be out cold._

_Raddick came down the steps, shutting the door behind him. He made his way over to the table. Booth made sure he was using his senses to try and track where Raddick was in the room without opening his eye. He could sense Raddick moving to stand over his head after he retrieved something from the table. Raddick leaned over his head._

_"I know you're awake." Booth opened his eye to see Raddick's face inches from his own. He shifted his eye to see what Raddick was holding, but couldn't see past his head. Raddick straightened out and moved behind Booth. Booth still couldn't see what Raddick was holding._

_"So, what you plan on using now? If it's something sharp I should tell you not to bother now, before you waste both of our time. I won't make a sound with it, you should know that by now, unless you really are just that stupid," Booth said to antagonize him. He realized that this may not be the smartest of ideas, seeing as it may make him more violent, but it was the only way he could see him making a mistake._

_Raddick chuckled nastily. "I'll get you to scream at some point." He ran the knife that he was holding down Booth's back, making sure that he was not going straight down the burns and cuts from before. He made sure he was curving the knife to provide a maximum amount of pain. He would tear down a couple inches in one of the wounds then slowly angle the knife just to the side, go down a little more and carve back in. It looked like he was making a zigzag pattern. Booth was wincing in pain, but held true to his word and did not make a sound. "Just give in already. I don't see why you don't just give up. I killed your son already, unless you really are that heartless, don't even care your own son is dead. I thought for sure that would break you." Booth was getting pissed that Raddick was calling him heartless, but realized that he may be able to use the fact that Raddick thought that Parker was dead to his advantage. Booth realized that, while Raddick was talking, he started to lean over his head. Booth turned his head to look at Raddick. Since Raddick was standing at an angle, toward Booth's lower back, they were basically eye to eye. "What? Don't have anything to say about your heartlessness?" Raddick taunted. Anyone who knew Booth well would be able to see the fury in his eyes. He saw how Raddick's face was getting closer to his own and quickly brought his head up, smashing his forehead into Raddicks nose. He smirked at the satisfying crunch Raddick's nose made. Raddick was stunned enough from the blow that he dropped the knife and staggered backward, clutching his nose. "Damn it!" Raddick shouted, kicking Booth hard in the back. Raddick bent down, picked up the knife, and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Booth was glad that when Raddick dropped the knife it had initially hit his arms and the rope around his wrists, fraying them a little. He hadn't seemed to notice that however._

_Booth started rubbing his arms back and forth, trying to get the ropes to fray more. It was causing him a great amount of pain, but he knew that he had to break the rope. He could feel the rope fraying more and more. He was moving his arms quickly, trying to get the rope to break before Raddick came back. After a couple of moments, the rope still had not broken through and the door opened. Raddick came back in the room. This time he was holding a large can and a box of matches. Booth had stopped moving his arms as quickly when the door opened. He was still working on breaking the ropes however; he was just making the movements less noticeable. He knew that it would take longer, but if Raddick caught him he would most likely retie the rope or use a new one. Booth could see that Raddick's nose was still gushing blood and had to suppress a smirk about that._

_"Nose hurt?" Booth asked, trying to get a rise out of Raddick and distract him at the same time. Raddick ignored the taunt and moved closer to Booth. He was pouring the liquid that was in the can all around Booth and a little on him making his open wounds burn. Booth could smell that the liquid was oil, and instantly knew what the matches were for. Raddick was done with playing with him. _

_Just then Booth felt the rope around his wrists snap. Raddick had turned his back to Booth though at this point to put the now empty container on the table. When he turned around Booth made it look like he was still bound. Booth knew that he had to use the fact that he was unbound to his advantage and wait for an opening. Raddick took a few matches from the box and was attempting to light them at the same time as he was coming back over to Booth. He leaned over Booth's head as he was striking the matches against the side of the box._

_"While I'd love to play longer, your face is really starting to piss me off. I find keeping you alive isn't worth it anymore. Clearly you don't really care that I killed your son. It's really not worth it keeping you alive. I'm getting bored. Maybe I should move onto someone else." Raddick spoke calmly and Booth knew that what he was saying Raddick believed to be true. Raddick started to straighten up, moving slowly because he was still concentrating on the matches. Booth knew that this was the moment he was looking for._

_Booth quickly brought his arms out from behind his back. He brought them forward and quickly got Raddick's neck in between them. He held tight even though it was causing extreme pain to his broken bones. Raddick's eyes widened as Booth had wrapped his arms around his neck. Raddick started to struggle, making Booth tighten his hold even more. Booth didn't care about the pain that these actions were causing him. Raddick started striking the matches against the box more franticly. Booth started to speak as he did so._

_"By the way, you're an idiot and failed miserably. My son is still alive and he's fine. You failed." After he said this, Booth quickly gave Raddick's neck a sharp twist, snapping it. He watched as the light left his eyes and felt the pulse on his neck stop._

_Of course he couldn't be that lucky to end it all like that. As he killed Raddick the matches finally lit and they fell, some on him, others on the oil around him. The fire quickly started to spread on him and around him. He tried to get the ropes tied around his legs undone, but they were too tight and his arms were too weak, especially his left one in which he felt the bones shift as he twisted Raddick's neck. He patted what he could of the flames off of his body. He dragged himself as far away as he could. He got the top half of his body under the table before the rope around his legs were pulled taut. It had been difficult with all his injuries, but eventually he made it. He thought he was going to lose consciousness a few times, especially when the edges of his sight began to blur and darken. The flames were quickly spreading. Booth knew he was as safe as he could be; being under the table would at least protect his top half from anything falling as the fire climbed the walls. He guessed the ceiling would fall at some point. Since his legs were already broken he figured it didn't really matter if more fell on them. The flames were quickly closing in on him. He could hear cracking coming from the structures surrounding him. He began to think that this might really be the end for him_

_'I'm sorry, Bones, Parker,' he thought as he started choking from smoke inhalation. The edges of his vision were quickly fading as his choking became more forceful. He was still trying to fight the darkness threatening to consume him. He wanted to get back to them. He moved slightly trying to get even further away from the flames. His choking became stronger, and he was having even more difficulty breathing. His vision started darkening even more. He opened and closed his eyes, trying to regain his sight, but now he found he could not see anything. He was still finding himself choking on the smoke and could not catch a decent breath._

_Booth could feel a warmth on his forehead moving down to his cheek. He also could feel a warmth in his hand._

_"Come on, Booth. Breathe. Open your eyes. You're ok. Come on. You're safe. You're alive. Parker's ok. Just open your eyes. Breathe, Booth," he heard. It sounded like Brennan._

_He kept blinking, trying to regain his vision. He kept hearing her call to him. He started choking and suffocating on the smoke less. His vision started to clear…_

**(Strong T or M End)**

* * *

When his vision cleared fully it wasn't the room that he was held in that he saw. It was Brennan's face, full of concern and relief once his eyes opened.

"Bones?" he rasped through the oxygen mask, his voice raspy from his raw throat due to the smoke inhalation. His eyes closed again, and he had to fight his eyelids to open them again. When he had them open again, he could still see her face hovering over his. He could also feel that the warmth that he felt in his hand was one of her own hands. Her other hand was stroking his forehead and cheek gently.

"Hey… You're safe, Booth. You're in the hospital. We haven't found Raddick yet, but everyone is searching. The agents aren't happy with how long it's taking." She stopped stroking his face and saw Angela move out of the corner of her eye as Booth attempted to shake his head. She guessed that Angela was going to get the doctor to let him know that Booth was awake. "Booth, you shouldn't be moving."

"Dead…" Booth rasped to her. He could see the confusion on her face. "Raddick… snapped… neck." He shut his eyes. She could see the pain that he was in on his face.

"We didn't find a body. Are you sure?" When he opened his mouth to respond, she cut him off. "Don't speak: Just blink once for no, twice for yes." Booth opened his eyes and slowly blinked twice. He closed his eyes again. She then realized that Raddick's neck is what Booth twisted. "Angela went to get your doctor. He should be able to give you something for the pain again."

"Parker?..."

"He's ok. He woke up shortly before you were found." His eyes shot open as fast as they could, and somehow, she knew what he wanted to ask. "Jimmy said he should make a full recovery, but it will be a difficult recovery." Booth shut his eyes again. "He was worried about you." He opened them again and she could see the confusion in his eyes. "Parker," she clarified. His eyes softened. "He'll be happy to know you're awake. Try to rest. We'll see what Jimmy says when he comes back in." His eyes closed. Now that Brennan was able to concentrate on his injuries more, she was able to hear the shallowness of his breaths.

The doctor and Angela came back into the room. Booth opened his eyes when he heard them enter.

"I'd say good to see you back with the land of the living, but I was honestly hoping you'd be out longer to give your body more time to recover. I was also hoping you wouldn't be back for a while, but apparently we're both just that unlucky." Brennan saw the laughter mixed with the pain in his eyes.

"So now that he's awake, what can you do for him?" Brennan asked the doctor.

First, he told Booth his injuries, in English, not medical speak, which he knew Booth would prefer. "Unfortunately, due to most of these injuries we cannot heavily medicate you because of possible complications in your recovery. I can, however, put you on a low dose of morphine in a drip to try and make you more comfortable, but with the concussion you can't be asleep to long anyway. And let's get one thing clear right now: You are not, I repeat, not, leaving this hospital until I clear you. No breaking out this time or I will restrain you to this bed." Brennan could see the amusement in his eyes. Rebecca, who had moved closer to Booth's bed after the doctor came in, saw the look too. Jimmy started to prep the drip.

"You did not just tell him that!" Rebecca said, shocked that the doctor was actually stupid enough to say that when Brennan had said before that he's normally the doctor that Booth gets.

"What?" he asked, confused as to how that was a problem.

"You said he," Rebecca said to Brennan, pointing at the doctor, "normally works on him," she said pointing to Booth. "Does he know him at all?"

"Yes, he knows his injuries quite well, but I do admit he must not be very intelligent to have said that to Booth and that I should maybe alter my observations of his knowledge of Booth."

"What did I miss?" He asked moving to insert the drip into Booth's arm.

"Do you not see the gleam in his eyes? You are a moron. You just challenged him to break out, and he'll try it at some point now too," Rebecca told him.

"Oh!" He looked to Booth and saw the amusement in his face as well as pain and defiance. This was going to be a long hospital stay for the doctor. He was seriously considering taking a vacation after this one. "Try to get some sleep. We'll be back to wake you up soon due to your concussion." The doctor left the room.

"Get some rest, Booth. You need it," Brennan said, trying to remove her hand from Booth's. He tightened it as much as he could, trying to convey to her not to leave him. He was also trying hard to keep his eyes from shutting. Brennan had understood what Booth was trying to say by tightening his grip. "I need to tell Cullen what you told me. I'll be right back." She tried to remove her hand again, but he still held on as tight as he could manage. "Booth…" she sighed, not knowing what to do.

"Sweetie, you stay here. I'll go get Cullen and tell him that you need to talk to him," Angela told her.

"Thanks, Ange." Brennan felt Booth's grip relax and saw that he had fallen back asleep. She pulled her chair closer to the bed without removing her hand from his. Angela left to get Cullen. Brennan looked to Rebecca. "Is Parker going to be upset with me that I didn't wake him up as I promised?"

Rebecca shook her head. "No. Seeley really wasn't able to speak well anyway. We just tell Parker that he was not awake long enough and that while he was awake he wasn't able to focus for that long before he would start to drift off again. He'll understand."

Brennan nodded and looked back to Booth. She could still see, even with the morphine drip, that he was still in pain. She wished she could do something for him.

After a few minutes of silence in the room, except for the beeping of the monitors, Angela and Cullen came into the room.

"I was told you needed to speak with me."

"Yes. Booth woke up briefly. He said that he was able to kill Raddick. He said that he snapped his neck. That would be consistent with the position the bones in his left arm were in."

"Do we have any proof that Raddick was there when the place burned to the ground."

"No, we—" Brennan was cut off by her phone ringing. She quickly removed it from her pocket. "It's Hodgins. They had all gone back to the lab. He might have found something," Brennan told Cullen. She answered the phone. "Brennan."

"Hey. I found something interesting in all the ashes… Hold on let me put you on speaker. Cam and Wendell are with me, also." Brennan heard the click, signaling that he just put it on speaker. "Can you still hear me?"

"Yes."

"Ok… When I was going through the ashes, there were some abnormal chunks within all of the tiny ashes…" Hodgins was cut off by Cam, who wanted him to get to the point quicker.

"He asked me about them and we ran the couple chunks. Both chunks were bits of flesh. I ran DNA. It wasn't a match to Booth…" Hodgins now cut her off. She glared.

"Both chunks were also found pretty much on top of where the fire captain said the fire would have started based on the burn markings." Cam continued.

"Based on the DNA, it is possible that it was Raddick, but…"

"It would have been." Brennan responded to Cam.

"Dr. B…Don't you always say not to jump to conclusions… Look at the facts."

"Yes, and I am. Booth woke up a couple minutes ago, and while he should not have been speaking, he wanted to inform us that he was able to snap Raddick's neck, even with all of his injuries."

"Damn," Hodgins said, somewhat stunned.

"Booth's good," Wendell added.

"How is he?" Cam asked, more concerned with his wellbeing than wanting to figure out how he pulled that off.

"He's in a lot of pain, but he was more concerned with telling us about Raddick and about how Parker is." Brennan told them. "Jimmy was able to put him on a morphine drip, but it doesn't appear to be doing much for him. It's, at least, allowing him to sleep though."

"Wish him well for us. We'll come see him when he's up for more visitors." Cam told Brennan.

"Ok." Brennan hung up on them. She faced Cullen. "We may have your proof. We know that there was another person there, but we don't have any DNA of Raddick's to compare it to. Based upon location of the bits of flesh, it is highly probably that they belong to Raddick since the DNA didn't match Booth."

"Good enough proof for me. I'll call the agents off… You know I almost wish Booth didn't snap his neck. That was a death way too good for him… I trust you and your team will finish up with the paperwork and other stuff for this case quickly, so that we can release the boys to their parents." Before Brennan could respond, Angela spoke.

"She'll be here with Booth, but we'll get it done." Angela gave them both a look, daring them to argue. Cullen nodded, accepting the terms. He faced Brennan again.

"After I call the agents, do you want me to let your father and Sweets know about Booth and Raddick?"

"That would be acceptable." Cullen left the room to do as he said he would.

Angela got up out of her chair a few minutes later. "I'm going to head to the lab to start on gathering my information for the files. I'll come by tomorrow. Make sure you take care of yourself too, Sweetie."

"Ok, Ange, but I'm still not leaving." Angela left the room, knowing it would be impossible to try to change her mind. As she was leaving, Max came into the room

"Hey, Tempe. I hear he woke up," he said coming closer to her and leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"Yes, and of course he was already only worrying about Parker and informing us of Raddick's demise. Stupid alpha-male wasn't even trying to save himself from the pain of talking and shaking his head."

Max chuckled. "I can see that. He wanted to make sure everything was covered. I can understand that one."

Brennan and her father talked for a few more minutes before he told her that he was going to head out and to make sure that she took care of herself. She grumbled something about everyone ordering her around, like she didn't know how to take care of herself, and how it was unnecessary. She looked over to Rebecca as her father left the room and saw that she had fallen asleep leaning against Parker's bed. She took the cue from her and laid her head down on Booth's bed, near their hands. She quickly fell asleep.

* * *

A few hours later, she was woken by a nurse checking Booth's vitals. She slowly sat up and saw that Booth was still asleep.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up." She smiled kindly at Brennan.

"It's fine."

"He's doing well considering everything. Dr. Andrews even says that he feels his breathing is doing well enough that I am to switch him over to a nasal cannula. If needed he can be switched back to a full mask, but Dr. Andrews believes that he'll be happier without it and that it's doable." The nurse was doing this as she said it. Brennan nodded. "Now, just got to wake him up to check on his concussion."

"I'm up," he said, his voice still gravely and eyes still shut.

"Ok. That makes my job easier." She quickly checked his pupils' dilation and then told him to rest, but to hit the call button if he needed anything. She left the room and Brennan figured she must have slept through her checking on Parker.

Brennan saw that the nurse left a pitcher of water by the foot of his bed. "Do you want some water?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he croaked. She got up, giving his hand a light squeeze, and went over to the pitcher of water. She could see that he was watching her. She put a little water into the cup and straw that was left for him. She came back over to the head of his bed.

"Slow, small sips," she told him, holding the straw to his lips. He took a few small sips.

"Thanks." His voice was still hoarse, but the water helped it a little. Brennan nodded and sat next to him, taking his hand again.

"I'd ask how you were feeling, but I'm fairly sure that you are in pain and won't admit to it so I won't bother."

Booth chuckled lightly, then winced at the jarring motion. He shut his eyes for a moment to try to shut out the pain. When he opened them again, he saw the look of concern on her face. "Don't," he told her.

"Don't what?"

"Worry… I'll be fine." He tried to sound like he was ok, but Brennan heard right through him.

"You're in pain."

"I'll heal." He shut his eyes as the medications started to work their magic on him again.

"Before you fall asleep again, do you have the strength to stay awake for a few more minutes? I told Parker that, if you did, I'd wake him up so he can see it for himself." Booth's eyes opened.

"Yeah… I can manage." His voice was still somewhat strained.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." She stood up and went over to Parker's bed. She was being careful so that she did not wake Rebecca. Brennan leaned over Parker's head, brushing the bangs from his forehead, trying to coax him gently out of sleep.

"Parker," she called gently. His eyes started to flutter, so she called him again. She called him a few more times before his eyes completely opened. "Hey… Your dad's awake."

"Really?" Parker asked excited. Brennan nodded and Parker quickly turned his head in the direction of his father's bed.

"Hey, Bub," Booth said, sounding almost normal. Brennan could still hear the pain in his voice, but it was hidden enough that she did not think that Parker would have picked up on it.

"Dad, did you get him? Bones said he hurt you bad."

"Yeah, Bub, I got him. Yeah, he hurt me, but I'll be fine in no time. Why don't you try to go back to sleep so that you can heal up faster and get out of here sooner?"

"Ok… Dad?..."

"Yeah, Bub."

"I'm glad you're ok."

"Glad you're ok too. Now go back to sleep before your mom yells at me for having Bones wake you up."

"Ok." Parker closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep again. Brennan went back over to Booth's bed and sat in the chair near him again. He was still awake, so she took his hand again.

"How'd you do that?"

"What?" he asked, shutting his eyes.

"Sound like you were so strong and not in pain so well."

"He doesn't need to worry about me. I can give him that so I did."

"Get some sleep yourself."

"We need to talk." He opened his eyes to look at her. She shook her head.

"It can wait. You need to rest first to start healing. We'll talk when you have more energy and strength." Booth shut his eyes again, not having the energy to argue. He fell asleep quickly.

Shortly after he had fallen asleep, Angela came back. Brennan looked away from Booth as she saw her enter.

"I thought you were going to wait until tomorrow to come back?" Brennan asked, wondering why Angela was back so soon. Angela came further into the room and brought a chair closer to where Brennan was sitting. She sat in it when she was happy with its position. She put her bag on her lap and started going through it.

"I was, but while I was starting to collect my information for the file, I found a note, that I never had a chance to show you before, that had been in the safe in Sully's boat. Booth will want to read it too, so you might just want to wait for him to read it." She pulled the folded pieces of paper out of her bag and handed it to her. "That's a copy, so you're free to do what you want with it."

"Thanks, Ange. I will probably wait for Booth to see what it says."

"I figured."

"I'm awake," he said, eyes still closed.

"Booth, you should still be sleeping!"

"Tell that to my brain."

"I don't know what that means. Your brain can't hear so therefore you can't tell it anything. Granted you need your brain to process what your ears hear in order to under—" Angela cut her off as Booth was smiling at her ramblings.

"He just means that he can't sleep, Sweetie because his brain won't shut off."

"You can't 'shut off' your brain though. It's impossible."

"Just an expression, Bones," he said, opening his eyes, his slight smile not leaving his face.

"Still, you should be resting. We can read it later."

"Bones, lets read it now."

"But—" Brennan started to say, but was cut off by Angela.

"I'm gonna head out, Sweetie. I'll be back tomorrow. Rest up, Agent Studly," Angela said standing up. She leant over Booth to whisper something in his ear. She pulled back, watching him blush. She laughed at his face.

"Angela…" he whined, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Man, it is so easy embarrassing him. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye, Ange."

"Bye, and next time I could do without those last comments."

"Which ones?"

"Just the very last ones because I understand what you mean with the first few."

"No promises, Studly," Angela said leaving the room.

"What did she say?" Brennan asked once she was out of the room.

"Don't ask."

"I believe I just did."

"Bones…" he whined.

"Fine, then get some rest."

"I thought we were going to look at the note."

"You need to rest and you won't tell me what she said."

"Are you trying to manipulate me into talking?" Booth asked incredulously.

"Is it working?"

"Fairly well," Booth admitted. He sighed. "Fine, I'll make you a deal. We read the letter and then I tell you what she said. Deal?"

"Fine." She got up from the chair to gently sit on the bed close to Booth so they could both see the letter. She unfolded it and they began to read.

_Booth, Tempe,_

_If you're reading this then I was most likely caught and am now dead._

_First thing I need to do is apologize to you. I never wanted to hurt your son, Booth, but I wasn't really given a choice. I am not asking for forgiveness because I know I don't deserve it, but I do hope that you at least understand why I did what he asked of me… Jerk never even told me his name or why he wanted to hurt you, but whatever happened between you and him, Booth, must have messed him up pretty good because to go after all those boys and your son is just messed up. I'm just thankful that I wasn't part of most of it like Kenton was. He brought me in later, but the guilt will never leave me._

_As I'm writing this, I know what he's planning and it makes me shudder. I wish I could call you to warn you, but I can't. He keeps planning big. First hurting your son, then hurting you after he kills your son. He plans to torture you before killing you. I just hope every time he gets your son you get to him in time. I don't want to have anything to do with you losing your son, but I'm in no position to try and defy him._

_He tracked me down. I don't know how and I don't know why. He told me we had something in common: our hatred of you. I had no idea what he was talking about. He said that I must hate you because it was because of you that Tempe didn't come with me. At first, I would have agreed with him. I did blame you, but I became grateful for Tempe turning down my offer._

_I found someone I fell in love with even more, which is why I never returned. I know Tempe is probably reading this with you, so I apologize for never telling you I would not be returning. I was fairly certain you weren't going to wait for me anyway, and I wasn't even sure if I wanted you to or not. I was fairly certain that you would be with Booth, and was fairly surprised when he told me that you weren't. As I was saying, I fell in love. Her name is Maria and together we have a beautiful one-year old daughter, Lilah._

_As I was speaking to him, telling him that I had no problems with you, Booth, Maria came down the stairs of our home carrying our daughter. I told him that there was no reason for me to want to hurt you and that he should leave. He went even crazier and pulled out a gun, shoved me out of the way and held my baby at gun point. Her cries of terror still haunt me. He kept talking, saying things like unless I help him he will kill my baby and wife and leave me to live in hell, knowing that I got them killed. He added that either way he knew I would end up joining him. I could join him then and he would let my wife and baby live or he could kill them and his theory was that he could leave and eventually I would blame you for their death and come track him down to return the favor and kill you and your family. I knew he was honest with killing them so I went with him. I couldn't let him kill them._

_I managed to convince him to let me talk to my family privately for a few minutes before he was forcing me to join him. He eventually agreed. I told them that things didn't look good for me, that I loved them, that I didn't see myself making it out alive. I told them I would try as hard as I could to get away from him the moment his back was turned, and if I managed it, I would call them and tell them. I would find a place for us, somewhere far from where he could find us again and call again for them to come. I left, listening to my baby girl still bawling._

_I finally had an opening once we reached D.C. and I took it. I bolted. He was probably furious but I wasn't looking back to see. He must have done research on me on top of finding out where I lived because a few days later I received a call._

_It was my wife. She was terrified. A man was with her holding her and our baby at gun point. We spoke for a minute before he took the phone. He said I had a choice. I could go to the warehouse and meet back up with the man I had left with or he could shoot them now while I was listening. I heard the gun safety click and knew he would do it. I told him I'd go, but how did I know he'd honor his end. He said after I reached the warehouse and plans were made the man would call him off, but he would be there until that point. After he got the call to leave he would put my wife on the phone and I could listen to him leave and talk with her for a minute. He told me I had 24 hours and hung up._

_I made it to the warehouse on time and told them I'd join. He later called the guy and told him to get out of the house. He gave me the phone and I heard him leave while I was allowed to speak with Maria. We couldn't speak long but at least I knew they were safe again. I asked the man how do I know that the guy didn't go back in after he hung up. He told me it was a one time job, paid in advance, and that the guy would not go back after his orders to abort, but to humor me he would let me call the following day. He did and they answered. That was the last time I spoke to them. He told me I needed to continue to help him or one call and he could hire him again and this time he wouldn't call him off. I had to stay._

_I know that "I'm sorry" will never even begin to cover what you were put through, but I am. As I said, I don't want to be doing this, but I don't see a way out. I know that I, most likely, won't come out of this alive, whether it's because you'll kill me, Booth, for hurting your son, or him because he needs to clean up after, I don't know. I do know though that my death will probably be the best thing at that point because I already don't see how I can look my family in the face again._

_I really am sorry._

_Sully_

"Wow," was all Booth could say after that. Brennan nodded. After a few moments of silence Booth spoke again. "I knew he must have had a reason. I didn't think the Sully we knew could be that cruel. That had always been one thing that was bothering me with this. I really didn't see him doing any of this willingly." Brennan nodded again. Booth wanted to get on a lighter note again so, while he really didn't want to, he kept up his end of the deal. "So do you still want to know what Angela said?"

She brightened at that prospect. "Yes!"

"You sure? You know I won't be offended if you don't."

"Booooth…" she warned him.

"Ok… Ok… she might have said something along the lines of me being lucky I was already in a hospital bed because otherwise she would smack me because four years is slow enough. She said something about glaciers melting faster too."

"That wouldn't have made you blush and she was at your ear much longer than that. What else did she say?"

"She might have said…" Booth mumbled the rest.

"What?" Booth glanced to Parker and saw that both he and his mother were still thankfully asleep. He spoke a little louder but still fairly quietly.

"She might have said that for my sake my 'advertisement' better be accurate because she expects all the dirty, juicy details from you," Booth said turning a little red from the embarrassment. Brennan looked a little confused for a moment and they both heard a slight chuckle come from the other side of the room. Apparently Rebecca was awake.

"Don't worry, you got nothing to worry about in that department. Why else would I keep falling into bed with you after we kept saying no more?" She told them, not trying to hide her amusement. Booth turned a deeper shade of red as Brennan got a look of understanding on her face.

"Oh, the cocky belt buckle… but Booth, I already knew you didn't have anything to be ashamed of there and you weren't even aroused."

"Bones!" He squeaked. Rebecca chuckled at his mortified look.

"When did you find that out?" Rebecca asked out of curiosity.

"I was angry with him and barged into his bathroom to yell at him. He was taking a bath and while I was yelling stood up." Rebecca laughed as Booth turned redder.

"Can we change the topic? There are little ears in the room."

"You need to sleep anyway," Brennan said giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and rising from the bed to return to her seat.

"Yeah," Booth said yawning, just realizing now how tired he was. She took his hand again as he fell asleep.

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 19, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... You happy I finally didn't leave you on a cliff hanger?**

**Ok... I'll still keep the deal of 10 reviews for a chapter and you get a chapter earlier though so review please...**


	20. Healing

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think! I'm not one of those authors that hold back a chapter until they get a certain amount of reviews, but the more I get the more I may be motivated to post ahead of the schedule I have planned… I have 20 chapters planned and an epilogue… as of now I'm figuring I'll update once a week, but the more reviews I get and I might change to 2 or 3 times a week… up to you!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_"Can we change the topic? There are little ears in the room."_

_"You need to sleep anyway," Brennan said giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and rising from the bed to return to her seat._

_"Yeah," Booth said yawning, just realizing now how tired he was. She took his hand again as he fell asleep.  
_

* * *

**Killing for Revenge  
****Chapter 20: Healing**

* * *

Booth had been in the hospital for about five weeks. A few days after he woke up both him and Parker were moved from ICU into a regular room. Even with being in the hospital, Booth and Parker had a fairly good time bonding after they were both able to stay awake longer. They spent their days watching cartoons and laughing, at least while they didn't have visits from the squint squad. Rebecca didn't stop by to much because they both decided that Parker had time with Booth now, and after he was released, he was still going to need assistance with things he normally wouldn't and that would fall directly to Rebecca since Booth would still be in the hospital and healing and he would need assistance too. Booth also found out about Angela's Halloween costume and wasn't too thrilled with her, Parker, and Brennan laughing at his expense, but he eventually loosened up and began to laugh too. He was even being fairly well behaved and not trying to break out for a few reasons. One was that it still hurt to move too much. Another was that he knew he should set the example for Parker. The last reason was that he knew if he tried to break out Rebecca and Brennan would kill him. Rebecca for possibly corrupting Parker into being disobedient regarding pain and Brennan for being a stupid alpha-male.

Now though, he was beginning to go stir crazy. Parker had been released to his mother three days ago and, while Brennan had never left him alone here too long and when she wasn't there one of the squints normally was, he was alone briefly now. Even though she was normally around, they still had not had the conversation that they needed to have. He was really getting restless being alone right now. To make matters worse he was also out of pudding. He decided to hell with being good. Parker was gone, he was restless, and he was bored. He knew it was probably a bad idea with most of his bones being broken, but he wanted to get up and move around. He figured with everything in better braces and casts, now that most of the burns and gashes were mostly healed, he could get away with it. He was hoping he didn't really need to attempt to get away with anything. He hoped they just kind of didn't notice him and let him be.

He slowly sat up to avoid giving himself more pain from his broken ribs and the larger of the gashes that were still healing on his back. He carefully moved closer to the edge of the bed. He started to move his leg off the bed…

"What the hell are you doing?" A voice spoke sternly from the doorway. Booth jumped and then groaned at the pain it caused him. His quickly looked to the doorway.

"Bones!" he said, surprised that he had not noticed her coming. He had been concentrating on getting up though so he wasn't too surprised. "You're here earlier than normal."

"Yeah, I finished what I was working on at the lab. Now, I'll ask you again, what the hell are you doing?" She moved over to the bed to force him back into it. He slowly moved back to the center of the bed and leaned the little way back since the head of the bed was in an inclined position. After he was situated again, she sat in the chair by him.

"I was bored and getting restless. I'm really getting sick of staying in bed." Booth stopped talking for a moment, but she could tell he wanted to say something else, so she waited. "Plus I'm out of pudding," he pouted. She rolled her eyes.

"If you wanted pudding, there is that call button next to you."

"Yeah, but I wanted to get up more." He flashed his charm smile at her, hoping it would get her to calm down slightly and not be as angry with him.

"You're worse than Parker. Apparently he's being quite well behaved for Rebecca and not trying to do things he shouldn't."

"Yeah… Don't know where he gets that from. Rebecca never lets anyone cater to her needs either."

"Maybe it's because he's smart enough to know that he needs to take the help."

"Are you calling me stupid for not taking help?" He asked with a smile to show her that he was joking with her. She shrugged, with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Maybe."

"That is just cruel. It should be against the law to insult an injured person."

"What are you going to do, arrest me again? 'Cause that worked out so well the last time."

"That time was for shooting someone with alcohol on your breath. But no, I won't arrest you again. I'll have to think of a much more suitable punishment." They were both smiling at their banter. "So, what were you working on at the lab today?"

"I continued working on a Jane Doe and a John Doe from bone storage, and we got an identification for each. We finished all of the paperwork with Raddick. The boy's had been returned to their families a while ago; these forms were just the finishing touches. I also worked on a new chapter for my novel…" Booth interrupted her.

"So, what are we up to now?"

"They are not based on us and you know I never tell you. You have to wait until it comes out just like everyone else… and stop interrupting me."

"Sorry," he said raising his arms in a gesture of a piece offering. "What else did you get done at the lab… never thought I'd say it, but I really miss being there every day. Yeah, you guys all come visit, but it's not the same as coming in and having to fear one of Hodgins' experiments putting us all under lockdown." Both chuckled at his comment.

"Well to answer your question, I put in my papers letting Cam know I was taking next week off." Booth sat more upright, surprised.

"Why? You never take time off. Is everything ok?" Booth asked worried.

"Yes. Everything is fine. I was going to surprise you, but after what you just attempted, my surprise wouldn't happen if you got caught." Booth looked at her confused. "I've also been looking at your x-rays from the last scans. Your bones are healing well. I managed to convince Jimmy that you were healing satisfactorily and could be released on bed rest. He agreed as long as you stayed in bed here like you are supposed to and as long as someone can stay with you."

"You're the best, Bones!"

"So, are you going to behave, or should I tell Cam that I won't need the time off after all?"

"I guess I can behave. How long though?"

"Tomorrow around noon. They want to take more x-rays later today and will have them by tomorrow morning. They want to make sure before they release you that everything is still healing satisfactorily. They already explained to me how to take care of your gashes and other injuries too, so you don't need to worry about that either."

"You aren't going to force me to stay in bed too, right?"

"Mostly, but I'll let you at least do little things and move to the couch."

"Better than here." They fell into silence for a few minutes before Booth spoke again. "We still haven't discussed what needs to be discussed yet."

"I know," she said, deciding not to pretend that she didn't know what he was talking about.

"So… You had asked me if we were already in a relationship."

"Right… and you had said you wanted to concentrate on Parker and Raddick first. I'm really not following what we need to discuss. Didn't we already discuss it…or did you change your mind," she asked, trying to hide the slight fear that she had that he changed his mind. He heard it anyway.

"Hey," he said, reaching over to take her hand. "I haven't changed my mind, but I do have a question for you."

"Ok…" she said, unsure as to what his question was going to be.

"Well, Raddick's dead, and Parker's healing well."

"Right…" she said, still unsure as to where he was going.

"So my question is…" He started delaying with a small smile on his face.

"Booth, just ask already," she said getting frustrated with his procrastination.

"Ok, ok…getting a little cranky, Bones?" he asked, smile widening

"Booth…" she warned.

"Alright, my question is, are you really expecting me to do the work of moving out of this bed to kiss you, or are you willing to do the work of coming closer?" He had his charm smile at full force now and she smiled, shaking her head at his antics.

"I guess I could handle doing the work."

"I know how much of a workaholic you are, so I figured I'd offer." She got up and came closer to him. She leant over him and gave him a quick kiss. He tried to deepen it, but she pulled back.

"Bones…" he whined. She smiled.

"You're supposed to be on good behavior, and if it gets any more intense can you say that you'd behave."

"No," he pouted, leaning up to try to kiss her again anyway. She leant down anyway so he didn't have to lean up to far. They kissed again, this time it got a little more intense, but it wasn't too intense. "What do you know?… apparently I can control myself."

"Shocking, Seeley." Booth raised one of his eyebrows. "What?" she asked when she saw his raised eyebrow.

"You called me Seeley," he stated, sounding confused.

"It's what all of your former girlfriends called you."

"Yeah…but you calling me Seeley just…"

"Sounds wrong."

"Very… I'm still Booth and you're still Bones. It's who we are to each other. Why change what works so well for us?"

"True." She kissed him quickly again.

"It's about time," a voice called from the doorway. Brennan jumped back, startled. Both, Brennan and Booth, looked to the doorway to see Angela grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, Ange. What are you doing here?" Brennan asked.

"Well, you left early, and Cam said that you were taking at least next week off, which you didn't tell me."

"Sorry, I meant to before I left today, but couldn't find you."

"What's going on, Bren?"

"Bones is springing me from this hell hole tomorrow." Booth told Angela grinning.

"I don't know what that means," Brennan said

"It means you're getting him released, Sweetie," she said looking to Brennan. She then turned to Booth. "Yeah?"

"Yep. She managed to convince them, if my x-rays they're taking later are still good and I manage to behave until tomorrow when they go to discharge me, that I could go home and stay on bed and couch rest."

"As long as someone stays with him," Brennan clarified for Angela. She turned to Booth. "And you really shouldn't be on the couch too much. It normally hurts your back anyway."

"Yeah, but I'm assuming, knowing you, that you'll force me to take my pain meds and the meds make it feel friendly."

"Studly, that's only because the meds make you stoned." Angela said laughing. The others joined her.

"Won't argue with you on that front." A nurse came into the room with a wheelchair at that point.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we have a break on the x-ray machines now, so we figured you'd want to get it over with now instead of later."

"Great," Booth told her. He then noticed the wheelchair. He raised his eyebrow as he saw it. "Jimmy's actually letting me out of the bed for once?"

"He figured if he's being stupid enough to release you tomorrow, why not."

"So can I walk there instead?" he asked hopefully. The nurse laughed.

"He said you'd ask that and for me to tell you, in his words, 'No way in hell.'" She came over to the bed and assisted him into the chair. "We'll be back as soon as we finish with the x-rays." They left the room.

"So, Sweetie, taking a week off to take care of Booth…"

"At least. His recovery may take longer, so I'll be staying with him for at least as long as he needs."

"So, you're staying with him, but with his injuries you still won't be able to have sex with him… that really sucks, Sweetie. I wouldn't survive living with Studly and not being able to have him."

"Normally when I start a relationship, sex is what I think of first, but in this case, I am actually content to wait."

"Wow, Sweetie. You really love him." Brennan smiled softly. They both sat in the chairs by the currently empty bed and continued to talk.

Eventually, Booth was brought back into the room by the nurse, who assisted him back into the bed.

"You'll have the results of the x-rays in the morning. Do you need anything else before I go?" the nurse asked.

"Well, when they bring dinner, can I get some extra pudding?" he asked flashing his charm smile. Brennan and Angela both laughed and rolled their eyes. The nurse laughed too.

"You're doctor knows you well and already wrote that down in his instructions. Anything else?"

"Nope, I'm good." The nurse nodded and left. Angela also took that as her cue to leave.

"Yep, I better be heading home, too. I'll talk to you soon, Bren. Get well soon, Booth. I miss not being the only normal on at the lab. Not to mention it gets kind of boring without you working." Booth's jaw dropped at her last comment before turning into a smile.

"Are you wishing for someone to be murdered!" he teased her.

"NO!... yes… maybe… God, that really does sound bad…" Booth and Brennan laughed at her ramblings, trying to clear up what she meant. Her trying to clear things up just made them laugh harder. "You guys are mean," she told them, trying to hide her smile. "I'll leave you to alone… Behave…"

"Yes, ma'am," Booth said as Angela left the room. Booth looked to Brennan. "So, you gonna join me?" he asked, moving his arm slightly to show her that he wanted her next to him again.

"Won't I hurt you?"

"Nah… get over here." She got out of the chair and went over to the bed. She sat on it carefully. She made sure she didn't really lean on him. He wasn't too happy with that, so he moved his arm again and pulled her closer to him, so that she was basically lying next to him.

"Isn't this hurting you?" she asked, kissing him on the cheek.

"Nope," he said just before his lips claimed hers for a brief kiss. When they pulled apart, he reached with his other arm to the table next to him and picked up the remote. "How's about some TV?"

"Sure." Booth turned the TV on. They weren't really watching it or talking. They were just content to lie in each other's arms.

After awhile, Booth felt her yawn against him. He looked to the clock. He hadn't realized how late it had gotten. They had just been lying there for hours, but it felt natural. He broke the silence.

"You sound tired. Why don't you head home; sleep in a real bed, instead of on this piece of crap."

"You sure?"

"You'll be taking care of me for at least the next week. You deserve one more night in your bed; you'll be more comfortable than spending the night here. I'll probably fall asleep soon anyway."

"Ok. I'll be back early tomorrow morning," she said, rising from the bed. She quickly kissed him before she left. Booth smiled and fell asleep quickly.

* * *

True to her word, Brennan arrived back at the hospital at nine in the morning. She was slightly surprised to see that Booth was still asleep, seeing as how she knew someone normally came in earlier to bring breakfast and such. She figured though that they decided to let him sleep a little extra since they should be discharging him today.

She crept quietly into the room, surprised when she didn't wake him because she knew he was a pretty light sleeper. She decided to wake him up, so she went over to the bed and leant down to kiss him on the cheek. He stirred at her touch; he smiled when he saw her.

"Hey," he said, yawning. "You're here early."

"Actually, it's already nine. I guess they decided to let you sleep later since you're being discharged if everything is good." Dr. Jimmy Andrews came into the room.

"Ok… your x-rays look good. You seem to be continuing to heal well. There has been some pretty good improvement from the last batch we did. Now, before I give you your discharge papers, let's get a few things clear: 1. You are supposed to stay in bed, no running around or doing too much. 2. You will have a pair of crutches. Use them when you go to move, but only go to move when you absolutely need to and 3. No straining yourself. You are still on complete bed rest for a week and can start to move a little, and I mean a little, more the following week. It will still be another few weeks before I will even consider clearing you for work. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah. Can I have the papers now?" He handed them over to him, and Booth quickly signed them.

"I'll be back in a few minutes with the crutches and wheelchair for you to leave." He left. Brennan grabbed his bag that she brought for him awhile ago and pulled out his clothes.

"Do you need help?" she asked him.

"No, I think I got it," he said taking the clothes from her. She decided to give him some privacy to change, so she turned around as he slid out of bed.

"Thanks," he said, realizing what she was doing. He carefully changed into the clothes that she had brought him. It was a little challenging with the braces and casts, but he managed. When he was finished, Jimmy had just come back with the wheelchair and crutches.

"So, here are the crutches… use them. You still need to use the wheelchair to leave though." Brennan took the crutches from Jimmy.

"I'll go put these in the car and bring the car to the front." She kissed him quickly and was out the door.

"Someone will be by in a minute to bring you down. Make an appointment in about 3 weeks for a follow-up to see if we can remove the casts and braces and make sure you continue to take care of the injuries. I also told her all of the instructions for your care. I suggest you stay at least sitting on the bed until then." Booth sat on the side of it to humor him.

A few minutes later, a nurse came into the room to bring him down to the front. He moved, grudgingly, into the wheelchair. When they got to the entrance, they saw that Brennan was already out front waiting. The crutches were in the backseat and the front passenger door was open for Booth to slide in easily. He was rolled close to the door and he carefully moved from the chair to the passenger seat. Brennan shut the door for him and then got into the car herself. She drove them to his apartment.

* * *

When they got up to his apartment, Brennan took his keys and opened the door, letting him go in first with the assistance of the crutches.

"Either go sit on the couch, or go lay down. Do you want or need anything?"

"Nope, I'm good," Booth told her, moving over to the couch. Brennan had gone into the kitchen. She came back out with a glass of water and his pain medication.

"Jimmy had said to take some once we got home." He took them from her, grudgingly. "You hungry?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I could eat." Brennan stood up from where she was sitting next to him.

"What do you want?"

"Well, we could go down to the diner, if you're up for driving. I'm kind of craving their pie." Booth smiled his charm smile to try to convince her.

"Booth, you're supposed to stay resting, and isn't it a little early for pie?"

"It's never too early for pie, and I'm going crazy with being cooped up so much. Going out for one meal won't be too long and I'll still be sitting for most of the time. You said it yourself my couch isn't that great, so is there really a difference between me sitting here or there." She sighed, knowing that if their positions were reversed that she would be complaining and arguing just as much.

"Fine, but we're coming right back here when we finish, and then you're going to rest, in your bed, for a while."

"Are you going to join me again?" He asked flashing his charm smile, remembering watching TV with her in the hospital bed with him the night before.

"Booth!" she shouted, shocked that he was being so bold. His question also froze her where she stood, as she was heading to the door. Booth took his crutches and made his way quietly over to where she stood. He leant over a little and whispered in her ear.

"If you learn anything new while you're in a relationship with me, it will be that Seeley Booth is no prude." He quickly kissed her cheek and moved around her, closer to the door. She stayed rooted to her spot. "You coming?" he asked with a smile, teasing her. She shook herself out of it as he opened the door.

"Tease!" she called after him, following him out the door. She heard him chuckle in front of her.

"Where did you even hear that one?" he asked as she caught up to him.

"Angela." He laughed again.

"I should have known. Remind me later to talk to her about corrupting you." He stopped talking for now. He had something to add, but he figured he'd catch her off guard with it later.

* * *

**_The Diner_**

Booth and Brennan were sitting across from each other at their usual table, bickering, laughing, and just plain talking, as they ate their meals and Booth ate his pie. His justification for eating so much was that the hospital food was crap so he hadn't had a good meal in forever, which, of course, led to another bickering match because there is no such thing as forever. The other squints, Hodgins, Angela, Cam, and Wendell, had decided to come into the diner for lunch at that point.

"Bones, I'm just… Oh, hey, guys," Booth said as he saw them enter.

"Hey, Booth. Good to see you up and about," Hodgins told him as Angela claimed the seat next to Brennan and Cam the one next to Booth. Hodgins and Wendell stood behind Brennan.

"How you doing, Big Guy?" Cam asked.

"Pretty good. I was going crazy in the hospital but managed to convince Bones to let me come to the diner to pig out." Cam laughed and took note of the many plates and bowls piled at the edge of the table.

Just then, Sweets came into the diner. He saw the group and made his way to them after putting in his to go order. He ended up standing behind Booth, where there was room. They included him in the conversation that they were having.

After a few minutes, Sweets saw that his order was ready and excused himself from the group to get his food and head back to the Hoover. He had work to catch up on.

As he was moving from behind Booth, he had brushed into Booth's crutches. He didn't notice, however, until they fell, tripping him. He tried to catch himself on the table and ended up hitting the stack of bowls and plates piled at the edge of it. He hit the floor hard. The stack of plates was shacking, and before anyone could catch them, the top bowl fell. It fell, face down on Sweets' head. That bowl just happened to be the one of Brennan's soup that she hadn't finished. Everyone sat and stood there in stunned silence until Sweets sat up, soup running down his face. They then burst out laughing. Sweets blushed, embarrassed.

"You see, Bones… I told you crutches are more dangerous than helpful," Booth said, still laughing. He looked over to Sweets. "You alright there, Sweets?" Booth asked in between chuckles.

Sweets mumbled something about being fine and going to collect his food and clean up before heading back to the office. They watched him head into the bathroom. He didn't look much better when he came out again. He collected his order and left. The group burst out laughing again. Hodgins picked up Booth's crutches and put them against the wall again.

"Before they try to kill someone else again," he explained. Booth nodded.

"He is definitely in for a rough time when he gets back to the Hoover," Booth told them. "If he doesn't get to the office before being seen the other agents definitely aren't going to let him live this down."

"That was great though… did you see that bowl flip?" Hodgins spoke with a grin.

"Stop it you two. That's just mean," Angela told them. Her scolding didn't work to well with the grin that was also on her face.

"You laughed too," Hodgins reminded her.

"Still, she's right. He'll be getting enough taunting at the FBI; no need to add us to the list too," Cam told them. The conversation then turned to other things: like the experiments Booth had been missing at the lab, to outside plans for drinks at the Founding Fathers, to how the hockey team was doing without Booth (they really missed him Wendell told him). When they finished with one topic someone always had something else.

Brennan joined in on the conversations, but she was careful to keep at least one eye on Booth. She knew that they should have left a while ago, so that Booth could rest, but she knew he was going crazy being stuck in bed. He also appeared to be doing well with the pain. She could begin to see though that he was tiring out and that the painkillers were wearing off.

"Booth, we should probably have left a while ago. You're still supposed to be on bed rest. Come on," she told him, laying some money on the table for all of their meals since more food, that they all shared, had been ordered during the course of their conversations.

"Right," he agreed. Hodgins handed him his crutches. He pulled himself up carefully. "See you guys soon," he told them as him and Brennan left.

* * *

When they got back to the apartment, Brennan let Booth in in front of her again.

"Go lay down. I'll bring you your pain killers and some water," she said as she went into the kitchen. She didn't notice her following him until he was right behind her at the counter. She froze.

"Before I go lay down, I have to say one thing about the conversation we were having before we left," he whispered in her ear. She stayed frozen. "You called me a tease, but that is where you are so wrong. A tease has no intention of following through, and I have every intention to as soon as I can." He turned and left to go lie down. She quickly got his pills together and the water.

She went into his bedroom. He was already lying down. She came closer to the bed and sat on the edge.

"Sit up for a minute so you can take them." He pulled himself into a somewhat seated position. She handed him the pills first, so that one of his arms could still partially hold him up. After he popped them into his mouth, she gave him the water. He lied back down. "Do you need anything else?" He smiled, one of those smiles that told her he was up to something.

"Well…" he started, dragging her down to lie next to him, wrapping his arm around her as she chuckled lightly. "You could keep me company for a while."

"True," she told him, making herself a little more comfortable in his arm. "Am I hurting you?"

"Nope." They spoke to each other for a little while before they both fell asleep, content.

* * *

**Ok... so that was chapter 20... only the epilogue left, let me know what you think! Review! Hope you all like and thanks to all those who put the story on their alerts and favorites and thanks to those who reviewed!... You happy I finally didn't leave you on a cliff hanger?**

**Ok... I'll still keep the deal of 10 reviews for a chapter and you get a chapter earlier though so review please...**


	21. Epilogue: Where Do We Go From Here?

**A/N : Ok, so this is my first Bones multi-chapter story. Hope it's decent. Read and review… Let me know what you think!**

**Also if you get the chance and want to I am currently Beta-reading for Lady-Josie's story. It's called "A Mistake in the Partnership?". It's her continuation of Season 6 based off of the sides and spoilers starting with The Killers in the Crosshairs with a surprise added in.**

**Thanks mendenbar for an idea you gave to add to this chapter**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, I'd be making a lot more money than I do!**

**Summary: What happens when there is a serial killer on the loose who targets little boys and Rebecca doesn't tell Booth that Parker's missing. What happens when things get even more complicated and faces from Booth's past comes back. some BB later. Takes place after Season 4 not including the last two episodes Cullen is still around.**

* * *

_Last Chapter:_

_They spoke to each other for a little while before they both fell asleep, content._

* * *

**Killing for Revenge  
****Epilogue: Where Do We Go From Here?**

* * *

**Four and a Half Weeks Later**

Booth opened the door to Brennan's apartment with his key. They had rarely been apart for the past four weeks, except for when Brennan went to the lab at Booth's insistence that he'd be fine alone for a few hours and that she could go do something for herself. They spent some days at her place, some at his. She had a key to his place too. They had gone out with the team and had gone out on a few "dates". He laughed thinking of the first night he asked her out.

_"Hey, Bones, how about I take you out for dinner tonight?" he asked kissing her on the cheek as she laid on his bed, they were at his apartment since he had the TV and it was only early afternoon so they were going to need it to keep him entertained while she worked on the next chapter of her book, with him. It was about one week into his recovery period._

_"Booth, we always go out to dinner."_

_"I meant like on a first date."_

_"You already got me into bed with you," she said with a smile on her face so he knew she was joking with him. "Isn't taking me out on a date moving backward at this point? Besides, if your definition of a date is going out to dinner, haven't we been on plenty of dates already? Also, you aren't cleared to drive, so I'd have to drive and therefore I'd be taking you out, and you are still supposed to be on bed rest."_

_"Well I would plan something a little bigger, but it's kind of hard on crutches. And, this time, dinner would be different cause I can do this," he said as he leaned over and kissed her on the lips. He deepened the kiss a little before pulling back. She smiled._

_"Ok." His eyebrows shot up._

_"Ok?" he asked, sounding surprised_

_"Yes."_

_"Wow."_

_"What?"_

_"I just thought I was going to have to go all anthropological on you to get you to agree that a dinner could be a date and to go on one," he told her smiling sheepishly._

_"Big word for you… anthropological… have you been practicing that speech too?" she asked clearly amused._

_"Maybe…" _

_They ended up having a good time at dinner, went back to Brennan's place and fell asleep in each other's arms._

Booth smiled at the memory as he walked over to where Brennan was sitting on the couch, working on her book. His casts had been removed a week ago, giving him his freedom back and his car keys and ability to drive, except for the one on his left arm. They had decided that that one still had some more healing to do so they put it in a brace. He didn't mind really though. They still hadn't cleared him to work at that point, but they had cleared him to drive so he really didn't have anything to complain about. Even after getting his freedom back, they kept the routine of not leaving each other for too long going.

Booth went over to the couch and plopped down next to her, wrapping his now brace-less left arm around her shoulders and moving to kiss her cheek, but she turned her head to him so their lips met instead.

"How did your doctor's appointment go?" She had decided to stay at her apartment while he went to work on her book because he didn't need her to drive him anymore.

"It went good. As you can see, no more brace."

"What about work?"

"Ah, that's why I'm a little later than I was expecting. I stopped by to hand in my forms, since it was on the way. I'm officially cleared for duty again." He smiled. "Cullen didn't seem too thrilled about me getting clearance this soon… don't get me wrong he's happy to have me back, but he was hoping the doctor was going to make me wait a little longer. Jimmy's pretty certain I'm good enough to go back, but Cullen isn't so sure."

"You had told Jimmy how you still get the occasional throb from one of your limbs that were broken?"

"Yeah, he asked if the throbbing was severe, how often it happens, and if it affects the movement in my limb. I told him the truth: that it's now pretty mild, doesn't happen as often, and not really unless it isn't as mild as normal, than it might make me pause for a moment. He seemed pretty satisfied with those answers and said that is sometimes the case, but as long as it's not normally affecting me, he can still consider me good to go... Cullen still wants me to take more time off, but I told him that me and the squints were anxious to get back to work. He suggested a vacation for me for a week to deal with the last case. We eventually came to a compromise of if a case comes in I get called in, but this week I'm still out of the office and the two weeks after that is all desk duty unless you guys are needed."

"You didn't take the vacation idea?"

"Not right now anyway. I'm not a fan of going alone, and I figured you're anxious to get back to solving murders too. I called Rebecca, Parker just started going back to school this week. He had officially been cleared to return last week, but he still had some pain, and Rebecca still didn't really want him out of her sight. I can't really blame her, I would have probably done the same thing. So since he just went back, I'm not going to take him out so soon again, besides he has some stuff to catch up on."

"I could help if he needs it."

"Thanks. I'll let them know about the offer." He kissed her cheek to show his appreciation. "So, I'm not taking a vacation now when we'd all rather be working again. Maybe soon, but…"

"You don't want to yet." She said when he trailed off.

"Right. I'd rather bring you or Parker, or both if I can."

"I wouldn't want to intrude on your time with him." Booth snorted.

"He loves you, too. Whenever I have him he's always asking: 'Where's Bones? Can we go see her?' or 'Is Bones coming, too?' You've got my kid in love with you, too."

"I can't say it." They had been in a relationship for a while, but had yet to directly say the words to each other. "I want to… I think I do but…"

"I don't think you do." She looked stunned, so he quickly clarified. "I know you do. You've proven it over and over again. Even if you never say the words, it's shown in your actions."

"How?"

"The way you completely dedicated yourself to helping me to stop Raddick, the way you helped me find Parker, the way you stayed with him in the hospital because I asked you to when you very clearly wanted to follow me, the way you stayed with both of us at the hospital when it was over, you're even the one who had the guts to point out we were already in a relationship… do I really need to continue cause I have a lot more I could list, from stuff that wasn't even that recent too."

"No. You made your point. Thinking about it now, you've never said it directly, but you've implied and shown your love, too."

"I hope…"

"Who else would have gone into a burning building, taken shots meant for someone else…" he stopped her there by kissing her, wanting to lighten up the mood again.

"Wow, if I had known kissing you would get you to stop talking I would have done that ages ago," he said smiling at her. She tried to look offended, but it wasn't too effective with her smile. He was really pleased with how carefree she was in private with him. It was almost as if she was a different person. "I do have to add one thing to my list from before though, the biggest piece of proof… I was cleared to be alone again over a week ago and I think in that time we've spent even less time without each other, except when you were at the lab and even sometimes then I came by for a while, and you're still putting up with my slobbishness and haven't complained about it yet," he said noticing a pair of his socks in the corner of the room and one of his shirts in another. He was sure if he looked in other areas he would see more messes of his and things of his. He smiled at her. She laughed.

"You do know slobbishness isn't a word?"

"Yeah, but it's fitting. I also did do something else while I was at the office, too which is why it took me so long."

"What?"

"A little research." She looked confused. "I tracked down Sully's family and gave them a call." He then told Brennan everything that he told Maria. He didn't give her the full details but had told Maria that Sully loved them so much and that he was sorry if he couldn't return and that, if it hadn't been for Sully, his son and himself might not have survived and that they were all grateful. He also told her if she wanted their contact information to give them a call or something that the information was still on his desk and that she could go grab it whenever.

"Good. I'm glad you found them. They deserved to know what happened to him." They fell into silence for a few moments.

"You know, I forgot to add one thing about my doctor's appointment."

"What?"

"I was cleared for one more thing also…" he trailed off. It took her a few minutes, but she eventually caught on and took her laptop off her lap, got up and put it on the coffee table. She went back to the couch, but instead of sitting next to him again, she sat on his lap. His arms came to wrap around her waist as she kissed him.

"Yeah?" she asked, fingering the bottom of his T-Shirt.

"Yep." He smiled. She took him by surprise though when she paused in fingering his shirt. She looked at him questioningly.

"You're not going to tell me to wait until after a date?" Booth laughed.

"I thought about it, but I figured why torture us longer, and we've been out on a few dates recently."

"Wow, I thought the romantic in you would want to wait."

"I can ask you to if you really want."

"Hell no." Booth laughed again, before he was cut off by her lips claiming his. She started going for his shirt again…

They were interrupted by both of their cell phones going off. They both groaned.

"We wanted to go back to work why?" Booth asked her.

"Come on, we have a case. The sooner we get done for the day the sooner we can get back here," she told him as she stood up, both of them checking for a message left on their phones.

"I like how you think." They listened to the messages: Brennan's was from Cam about the case and that she was going to meet her at the scene. Booth's was from Cullen about the case and also accusing him of planning the murder because of the agreement they came to. Booth laughed at the end of the message, knowing Cullen wasn't really pissed. "Come on, Bones. Chop, chop. We got a case." They left to head to the crime scene.

* * *

Brennan was ranting as they entered her apartment after coming back from the scene.

"What are the FBI and police full of idiots? They couldn't even tell that we weren't needed because it was a suicide. We do murders not suicides. Don't they know I might have been doing something better or more important when they called us on a wild duck chase?"

"Goose chase… and I assume you're referring to doing me…" Brennan sputtered at his boldness, caught off guard by it. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her hard. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back, before pulling away slightly.

"What? I was doing something important and don't like being interrupted."

"Well, it's a good thing that we don't need to be working anymore. We can get back to what we were doing before then." She unwrapped her arms from around his neck and practically dragged him back to her bedroom, where they collapsed on her bed together.

* * *

A few hours later, they were lying in bed together, his arms wrapped around her; her head on his chest. She was tracing his scar from Pam until he laid his hand over hers, pausing her movements.

"What are you thinking about, Bones?" he asked, softly.

"How do you know I'm thinking?" She kept her voice soft as well.

"You're always thinking."

"I was just thinking we almost didn't make it to this point. There were…"

"Hey, we did and that's what counts." He kissed her on the forehead gently. They laid there silently for some time, until the silence was interrupted by Booth's growling stomach. Brennan laughed.

"What, are you hungry?"

"Hey, we just burned a lot of calories. I have a right to be hungry"

"I didn't hear you complaining."

"And you won't. Now, how about we go out and get some food. I'm starving," he said as he sat up, her moving over slightly so he could. She saw the new scars from Raddick on his back. They still looked pretty bad and they still had some redness around them. She hadn't really seen them in a while after Booth was able to start treating his own back and she didn't notice just now, seeing as she was a little occupied. She ran a hand lightly down one of them, sending a shiver down him, as he swung his legs over the side of the bed to get up and dressed. Before he got completely up though, he let her hands run over the new scars.

"Do they still hurt?"

"No, after they healed completely they stopped." Brennan nodded, knowing he wasn't going to say anything else on the subject. It was one thing they avoided talking about, the torture. He didn't mind Raddick being mentioned as long as it didn't involve anything in that cabin. Brennan didn't know if he didn't say anything for her sake or his, but knew she would listen if he ever wanted to talk.

"If you ever want to…"

"I know… Thanks," he said knowing that she was offering to listen to him. He wanted to lighten the mood again. "So, how about we head to the diner? You always say their pie is really bad for me, so it will be extra calories you can help me get rid of later." He got up in search of his boxers, as she got up to grab clothes for herself.

"Think you'd mind going like that?" she asked before he pulled his boxers up.

"Yes, I would, and I'm pretty sure they would too," he told her, laughing slightly at the suggestion, as they were dressing.

"Hmm," she started, pretending to think. "I'm not so sure. You have excellent bone structure and symmetry. You might be doing them a favor." They finished dressing and he laughed, pulling her to him and kissing her quickly.

"Come on, let's go get us fed so we have more calories to burn later."

"I like that logic."

"Good," he said as they left the room and apartment. Who knows where things were going to take them from here, but they knew that they were going to take things one day at a time and see where it leads them.

* * *

**Ok... so that was the epilogue... hope you enjoyed the journey... I'm thinking about maybe (and it's a HUGE maybe at this point) doing a sequel to this story... I've got a few ideas for a couple of things I could bring into the sequel but am having some difficulties for a good case to write so if I can think of one I will consider writing a sequel... It would also be a while (probably a long while) before I would start posting it if I ever do write one especially since I've started another piece set between seasons 6 and 7 if anyone wants to keep an eye out for that one... I'm not sure when I'll start posting that one though... Is there any interest for a sequel for this one though? Let me know. Also, feel free to mention ideas or suggestions you may want if you want a sequel to this one. I won't guarantee I'll put it in because it would depend on if it would fit with the ideas I have already but I will definitely consider them.**

**So, thanks one more time to everyone who put this story on their favorites list, alerted, and/or reviewed this story... hope everyone enjoyed and please review one more time and let me know if you want a sequel and if you have ideas...**


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